Bring Me To Life
by angel74
Summary: [Complete] HPDM, Do soulmates really exist? Draco is placed with the Weasleys for his own protection and discovers Harry doesn’t lead the perfect life he has always imagined. Warning: SLASH, abuse, rape, cutting
1. Sins of the Father

**Bring Me To Life** (formerly known as What Dreams May Come)

**By: angel74**

**_Okay this fic is new and improved! I have rewritten each chapter and posted new ones.  If it looks familiar it is probably because it is!_**

**Rating:**  R 

**Warning**: SLASH, abuse, rape, cutting, violence, language (all non-graphic!) 

[If you disagree with anything in this story, than don't read it. Its rated R for a reason people!!!]

**Disclaimer: I have decided to say this once, and only once instead of posting it for every chapter.  I do not own Harry Potter or any other of J.K. Rowling's wonderful characters. I only want to play in her world. I intend this story to be merely for pleasure, not profit. So there! *sticks out tongue childishly***

Summary: This story begins during the summer before Draco's sixth year. Draco is placed with the Weasleys for his own protection.  Away from his father and his wealth, Draco learns the true meaning of friendship and family.  He discovers that Harry doesn't lead the perfect life he has always imagined, and begins to fall in love.  Together they will face the first battle in the war against Voldemort on Halloween night.

**Themes:** soul mates, friendship and love, very Harry-centric

**POV's**: seen through the eyes of Ron and Draco, alternating POV's

**Pairings**: HP/DM, HG/RW, GW/NL

**Category:** Angst/Romance

**Spoliers**: for OoTP (and for all other HP books, obviously!)

**Slight AU!!**

**Special Author's Note**:  ffnet yanked my original story off for an apparent infraction a week ago, which was incredibly irritating.  I don't think they even read the stories when a reviewer decides to report an abuse. I had already changed my rating from PG-13 to R a long time ago, and I feel that my story _was perfectly fine for PG-13. So I lost all my precious reviews *cries sadly*.  So please review often and send me some constructive criticism. I miss my reviewers. Enjoy!_

**Chapter One- Sins of the Father**

Draco had been home already a  week, and he was still upset that Potter and his friends had gotten the better of him on the train home from school.  He was currently lying in his bed at Malfoy Manor wondering where his mother had gone off to and contemplating the events of last year.  He glanced lazily around his lush surroundings and thought about his so called life.

Draco had returned home from his fifth year at Hogwarts with mixed emotions.  He had heard about what had happened at the Department of Mysteries from his head of house and godfather, Severus Snape.  He knew that his father had been captured by the aurors during the attack and had been taken to Azkaban. At first, he was furious that something like this could happen to his father.  He had no idea what was going to happen to him and his mother now.  After further contemplation he realized that he was no longer under the thumb of his tyrant father, and he was beginning to reevaluate what it meant to be a Malfoy.

His father had raised him to be a well-bred, high society brat.  Draco believed whole-heartedly that the ultimate goal in life was to require as much wealth and power as humanly possible. This meant by any means necessary. He was brainwashed to believe that the key to that power was in following the Dark Lord, the most feared wizard of all time.  No one would be able to stop them once he had regained his power and began his rein over the world.  Together they would rid the world of such infestations as muggles and mudbloods.  These lowly beings were not worthy of living along side those who were superior to them. Draco tried to inquire once about why these people were inferior to them, but he was never given a specific reason why.  Instead, he was given a healthy reminder of who was in charge of the house and what the consequences were for asking such a question.  Brainwashing can be quite effective when the victim has no other choice but to believe what they are being told.

Draco wanted to be accepted and loved unconditionally by his father, and only saw one way for this to occur. For a long time, he obediently followed in the footsteps of the man the he idolized so much.  It was not his natural disposition to be so cold and calculating by any means, and adapting himself to the ways of his father took constant vigilance. He molded himself into the very image of his father, even going so far as adopting the drawling way of speech and making snide comments to his classmates.  He justified to himself that it was necessary to be cruel to Potter and his band of merry gryffindorks because that was the way things were meant to be.  They had to be in opposition with another because that is what fate had deemed necessary.  The light struggling against the dark.  Lucius had thoroughly convinced his son that the dark would be the winning side, and that Draco had best choose the path that would bring him the most success. Defying his father was never an option.  He knew all to well what the consequences were for disobeying his father. The punishment was always cruel and painful.

Draco realized that everything he held to be true changed dramatically once the Dark Lord got his body back during the third task of the tri-wizard tournament.  He didn't know the details of what happened that night, but he knew enough to know that Potter was tortured before he was forced to give his blood in order to resurrect the Dark Lord. For some reason he was deeply disturbed by this.  He always knew that the day would come when Potter would be confronted by the Dark Lord, he just never realized it would happen when he was a mere child.

Through the course of the summer last year, Draco was forced to attend some of the death eater meetings.  He loathed going to each one, but Lucius always insisted that it was necessary prelude to the inevitable; the day that Draco would become a death eater himself. He was terrified when he first saw the Dark Lord in the flesh.  His body was thin and grotesque, and his face was snake like and repulsive. He was even more shocked to find that his father was nothing more than a servant to him.  Draco always pictured his father as the Dark Lord's right hand man standing proudly in service. He never imagined staring down upon his father as he was groveled at his lord's feet like a lowly house elf.  Draco watched as his father was punished with the cruciatus curse over and over for allowing Potter to escape on that faithful night.  Is this what Draco was going to become?  What he too be tortured and forced to beg for forgiveness? Was this price for ultimate power?  He wasn't so sure that this was what he wanted any longer.  Draco wasn't even sure that he ever truly wanted to be a death eater. He was never really given the choice.

Draco also witnessed the Dark Lord torture a family of muggles who accidentally crossed paths with their death eater encampment one night.  Watching the scene made him sick to his stomach.  The death eaters skillfully disrobed each family member and levitated them into the air spinning their bodies around like floating tops.  They then proceeded to torture and maim each one until they no longer could stand it and their poor bodies gave up.  It was all Draco could do not to wretch before them. Their actions were unjustified and seemed merely for pleasure than anything else.  He knew that the death eaters all had a sadistic side, but this was too much. Thankfully, they seemed to ignore Draco completely.  He had heard some unsettling tales of the Dark Lord and his men using would be death eaters for sexual pleasure.

He knew that his father planned on having him take the dark mark soon, but now it seems that he might be able to escape that fate.  With his father in prison after the attack, maybe the remaining death eaters would forget all about him, and he would have chance at a semi normal life. He would no longer have to abide by his fathers rules, and could start to live a life that he had only dared to dream about before.  Draco decided that he would get through his last two years of school and maybe make something of himself. He found himself getting excited about the endless possibilities. He had a childhood dream about playing professional Quidditch, but he didn't think he was truly talented enough. He had always been interested in potions as well, but he though that he might rather be an auror if he proved to have the aptitude.

Draco was snapped out of his reverie suddenly when there seemed to be a commotion from the other side of the house.  Draco could see through the doorway some of the house elves scatter about. He got up from his position on his bed and stepped into the hallway to examine the situation.  The sight before him was not what he expected.  His father was storming down the great hallway forcefully grasping his mother by her arm.  Her hair was wild and there were tears streaming down her face.  His robes were filthy and his platinum blond hair unkempt.  The wild gleam in his eye was fierce to say the least.

"DRACO!" his father bellowed, heading straight for his son.

"Yes... yes, father? But how… I thought… you were in..," Draco muttered stupidly.

"Did you really think that they could keep me in Azkaban when the dementors are no longer there to guard it?" Lucius replied coldly. 

"Well...I..."

"Shut up. You should be happy to see me.  Now both of you grab what you can.  We are leaving immediately. The aurors will be here soon," his father said.

"Just do what your father says, Draco," said Narcissa frantically who had just disappeared into the master bedroom. Lucius walked quickly into his study.  Draco could hear him rummaging around looking for important information and probably incriminating evidence.

Draco walked back to his own room.  His head was spinning and he was fighting the nausea that was overcoming him. He had never expected to see his father again.  Now here he was demanding that he and his mother leave behind the life they had become accustomed to.  Where would they go?  Would they leave all their money behind?  Would he still be able to go Hogwarts?  There were too many unanswered questions that Draco dared not to ask.

Most of his things that were of importance to him were still in his school trunk.  The house elves had unpacked his clothes and placed the trunk in his closet when he had returned home. He remembered that he had safely stowed away a precious object before returning home, and set about looking for it in his trunk. He managed to find the small blue marble that his godfather had given him in case of an emergency.  He placed it quickly in the pocket of his robe, not really knowing what he was going to do, but thankful it was there nonetheless.  He hastily pulled his trunk out and began throwing his clothes into it.  After finishing the job, he sank down on top of it and put his head in his hands. 

_No... this is not what I wanted. I thought I was finally free from him. What will happen to me if I leave with him?  Will I be a death eater?_

Lucius entered his room and yelled, "Come on, Draco.  We need to leave NOW!"

Draco slowly raised his head and in a strong, steady voice he said, "No."

"Excuse me? What do you mean by no?"  Lucius was clearly agitated at the apparent disobedience.

"No, father. I am not going with you.  I do not want to be a death eater," he replied timidly.  He knew how violent Lucius could be.

"You ungrateful brat!" 

As expected, Lucius back handed across the face.  The blow caused him to topple over the trunk he was sitting on.  Draco could feel his father pummeling and kicking his body, screaming hateful words at him.  He tried his best to protect his body by curling into a ball and mentally blocking out the string of obscene language.  It was something that he had to do occasionally when he angered his father.  Suddenly, the beating stopped abruptly. Draco opened one of his eyes and curiously looked at his father to determine why he had stopped hurting him. He only hoped that he hadn't stopped to retrieve his wand. He watched as Lucius walked over to the bedroom window to peer outside. The view looked down upon the grounds in front of the manor.

"The aurors are here faster than I suspected," said Lucius.  He walked past his son lying on the floor and entered the hall to yell for his wife. "Narcissa! Hurry!"

Draco seized this rare moment to retrieve the small blue marble from his pocket and grab his trunk. He feared what would happen to him if he stayed and waited for the aurors. He knew he could not go with his father.  His only hope was his godfather, Severus Snape.  He had long suspected that he was a spy for the light.  Draco only hoped that he was right.  Otherwise, he would land right back into the hands of his father. He activated the portkey, "Portus," and disappeared.

A/N:  This was my very first fanfic. Did you like it?  Leave me a review!!


	2. Keep Your Enemies Closer

Chapter Two- Keep Your Enemies Closer

Ron sat back after finishing a large meal and looked around at his family.  His mother, father and Bill sat at the head of the table quietly discussing business involving the Order of the Phoenix.  The twins and Ginny were excitedly talking about the possibility of Harry being able to rejoin the Quidditch team again now that Professor Umbridge was no longer in charge at Hogwarts. Ron also thought about the missing family members not present at the dinner table.  Charlie was still working with the dragons in Romania.  Percy had not yet spoken to the family even in light of the fact that the Ministry now recognizes that You-Know-Who is back in power.  His mum keeps assuring everyone that Percy is just embarrassed about the things he said about Harry and that he will come around eventually.

It felt good to be back at the Burrow after the events that took place last year.  Although things appeared to be back to normal, there was an overall apprehension about what You-Know -Who would do next.  Ron's parents and Bill had begun taking turns being on duty for the order so that there was always an adult home with the children.  After nearly losing her two youngest, Mrs. Weasley had insisted that they return to the Burrow instead of going back to Number 12 Grimmauld Place because they were too young to be involved with the order yet.  

That suited Ron just fine.  He had experienced a lot during his fifth year at Hogwarts and after what happened at the Department of Mysteries, Ron wasn't sure he would be able to do much to help the order anyway.  He glanced down at his own arms. He had felt so foolish about what had happened.  He knew now that he was under a curse from one of the death eaters, but he felt that he should have had little more common sense than to mess with something he knew nothing about.  There were faint scars from where he was attacked by the brain's tentacles.  Madame Pomfrey was confident that the scars would fade completely if he continued to use the healing balm that she gave him.

The twins had moved onto the topic of opening their joke shop in Diagon Alley. Everyone was really excited by them owning their own business, and were discussing all the products they should sell. The family had just finished clearing the table after the meal when they heard someone tumble out of the fireplace.  Turning around they all could see that Dumbledore has just used the floo network to arrive in their kitchen.

"Why, Professor Dumbledore, what do we owe this surprise… has something happened?" Mrs. Weasley asks tentatively while drying her hands on a kitchen towel.  Her face was a mixture of emotions. She was trying to be pleasant, but Ron could tell that she dreaded hearing anymore bad news.

"I apologize for my rude entrance, but I have something of the utmost importance to discuss with you," he replied.  "Please, sit down."  The family all sat down around the table once again, wondering what he would say next.

"Is it Harry?  Is he alright?  I haven't heard from him yet," Ron cried frantically.  He had been so worried for his best friend since Sirius died.  Harry had already been through so much, and he knew that this tragic loss could shatter Harry completely.  He also knew that Harry's life was perpetually in danger, which is why he was placed at the Dursleys again. Apparently he would remain safe from the death eaters as long as he lived with his Aunt Petuina.

"No, Ron.  I believe that Harry is just fine.  However, I do come to you in regards to another student.  As you may know several prisoners have managed to escape from Azkaban." They all nodded grimly.  It had been all over the papers.  "One of your peers has come forward seeking sanctuary from his father.  He has provided the order with some valuable information to prove his loyalty to the light.  By doing so he has put his life in great jeopardy.  He insists that he does not want to become a death eater and that he now fears for his life.  His father was one of the escapees, and he tried to forcibly take him away."

"Who is it?" the twins asked in unison.

"Draco Malfoy," replied Dumbledore.

"WHAT! You have got to be kidding me?  This is just some evil scheme for Draco to spy on the order for his father.  You don't actually believe..."

"RON!  Do not speak to Professor Dumbledore that way!"  Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"But mum.."

"Ron… I assure you that Draco is telling the truth.  He was severely beaten before he was able to escape from his father using an emergency portkey that his godfather had given him," Dumbledore replied carefully.

"Professor…what is it that you are asking us?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Molly, as you know Severus, Draco's godfather, is unable to take Draco in right now for obvious reasons. There is no one to look after him at Hogwarts and I feel that it is inappropriate to house him at the order's headquarters.  I was hoping that you and Arthur could find it in your hearts to take him in temporarily. You are the only one I can ask that is affiliated with the order and understands the danger of housing him.  Oh, and I have already taken the liberty of placing some wards around your home in the chance that you would agree."  Dumbledore had that twinkle in his eye again.  He was quite manipulative and knew how to make someone agree to something before they even thought about it enough.  

"Molly, it will be only for a couple of months.  We can manage it," Mr. Weasley said looking at his wife trying to read her expression.

"I suppose so…," Mrs. Weasley said thoughtfully. 

"Mum, NO!  You can't!" Ron said desperately.  Fred, George, and Ginny nodded in agreement.

 "Ron, you do not have a choice in the matter. Alright, Albus.  When will he be here?" asked Mrs. Weasley sighing deeply.

"He is currently at Hogwarts being healed by Madame Pomfrey. He will arrive by the floo network once I return and inform him of his new living situation. I suspect that he will not be happy about this matter either," Dumbledore said looking at Ron knowingly.  He glanced to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and said, "Thank you both for your kindness." He turned away and looked as if he were about to floo back to Hogwarts.

"Wait! Professor Dumbledore! This isn't fair!  Harry needs us a lot more now than Draco does.  You said there were wards around the house now.  Can't Harry come here too?  He will be a lot safer here where we can all keep an eye on him.  Please, mum?" Ron looked over at his mother pleading his case.

"We would love to have him, professor," Mrs. Weasley replied.

Professor Dumbledore looked at the floor and stroked his beard thoughtfully. Ron looked at his headmaster expectantly. After much deliberation, he looked up and said, "Alright.  Yes, I suppose it would do Harry some good to be near his friends.  I only ask that you wait a few weeks to allow Draco to get settled in. I hate to see this situation escalate any further. I trust that you will contact him and bring him here safely?"

"Yes!" all the children exclaimed giving each other high fives.

"Of course, Albus," Mr. Weasley replied shaking his head at his children for their silliness.  Dumbledore nodded and smiled.  He grabbed a handful of floo powder from atop the mantle and made his departure.

"Well, now that we will be having a house guest we should clean this place up.  Come along now, help me tidy up!" Mrs. Weasley said.  Everyone groaned, but helped out anyway.  Ron suspected that they all wanted to make a good impression after all the hateful comments that Draco had made about them being poor.  Cleaning up wasn't going to change that fact, but it felt good to do something while waiting around for the inevitable to happen. They set about dusting off the furniture and wiping each surface.  Ron's father and his brother Bill regrettably had to leave before meeting Draco because they both were on duty for the order.

About an hour later, Draco was found falling out of the fireplace and into the kitchen.  He collapsed over his trunk, but quickly righted himself and began to brush the soot of his clothing.  Looking up, he realized that the Weasley family was looking at him apprehensively.

"Hello, thank you for taking me in," Draco replied timidly, looking back down to the floor.  His response sounded rehearsed to Ron, and he seemed so shy and unsure of himself.  His blond hair, which was normally plastered back, was now hanging down in front of his face.  There was some faint bruising on his face that appeared to have been healed magically.  Ron wasn't sure what to make of Draco. He had never seen him looking so distraught, and he wasn't sure how to relate to this boy who had become their house guest.

"No problem, dear.  We are glad to have you," Mrs. Weasley replied sweetly.  She came around and gave him a small hug. Draco noticeably stiffened and looked uncomfortable with the gesture.  Much like Harry used to. 

Ron stared at him curiously.  He wasn't sure if he was ready for the daily bickering that was bound to occur with Draco living at the Burrow. He wondered if the boy really had changed. He seemed so different from how he was at Hogwarts.  He almost pitied the boy for what he must have gone through. Almost.

"Now you all listen.  I am well aware of your dislike for one another at Hogwarts.  I assure you, I will not tolerate that kind of behavior while you are under my roof. Is that understood? You do not want to find out what happens if I catch any of you fighting. Everyone has a fresh chance to build some new friendships. I hope you take advantage of it."

Ron rolled his eyes. He was not going to become buddy buddy with his enemy. 

"Ron, help Draco to get settled in your room," Mrs. Weasley said.

"WHAT! Why does he have to stay in my room?" Ron was flabbergasted.  He had never been informed that Draco would be bunking with him.

"Because I said so.  Now help him get settled," she said more firmly.

Ron mumbled some incomprehensible and probably inappropriate words as he grabbed one end of Draco's trunk.  "Come on!"

Draco picked up the other end and followed Ron. He led Draco up the many flights of steps until he reached his bedroom.   He opened the door to reveal a small orange room with two beds.  Posters of his favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Canons, covered most of the room.

"This is my bedroom.  Don't mind the noises, there is a ghoul that lives in the attic that likes to clank on the pipes whenever it gets too quiet.  You will sleep on that bed over there,"  Ron said pointing to the bed on the left hand side.  "Well, for the time being at least.  When Harry gets here, you will have to move." 

Ron could tell that Draco was irritated.  Probably from the fact that he had to come here in the first place, and the fact Ron insinuated that Harry, Draco's enemy, was soon to replace him.  Away from the rest of the family, Draco's cool, confident exterior was starting to exhibit itself once again. 

Draco placed his trunk at the foot of the guest bed and turned to face Ron. "Pretty shabby, eh Weasley?  But I guess it's the best you can do," said Draco.  The smirk that Ron had grown to hate had already been plastered on the blonde's face. He hated to be reminded about what little the Weasleys had.

"Shut up, Malfoy.  You don't even have a home anymore because your father is a death eater," Ron replied angrily. Things had not started off very well. Fred and George had just begun to enter the room when the fight began to escalate.

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE YOU KNOW ME, WEASEL!"  Draco's face was beginning to flush with anger.

"AT LEAST I AM NOT A BOUNCING FERRET!"

And with that Draco and Ron lunged at each other.  They ended up on the floor punching, kicking, and pulling at one another with all of their might.

"Hey, break it up!" Fred said grabbing Ron away from Draco.

"Yeah, mum will be furious if she catches wind that you two are already at one another. Do you really want two weeks worth of chores?"  George yelled grabbing Draco.

"No," they both replied.  Each boy went to go sit on their respective beds looking a little disheveled.  Draco rolled onto his side and faced the wall sulking.  Ron plopped down on his bed and grabbed a parchment and a quill.  He began to compose a letter to his best friend.

_Dear Harry,_

_Guess what?  Dumbledore said you can come stay at the Burrow in a few weeks.  He has placed some wards around the house because of a special "guest" we are housing.  I will explain more later when I have some more time.  You will never guess who it is!_

_I hope that you are okay and that your relatives are treating you decently.  If they aren't let me know and we can send the werewolf over there to keep them in line.  Also, let me know if you get hungry.  We can send you a food package in no time at all._

_                        Sincerely,_

_                        Ron_

Ron was unsure if he should say anything about how Harry was coping with Sirius's death.  He figured that Harry didn't need to be reminded of it right now. He walked over to Hedwig, who was asleep on her perch next to Pig.  Harry had left the snowy owl with Ron this summer because he knew that his uncle could not handle another summer with that "bloody bird." 

"Here girl, take this to Harry,"  Ron told her softly. Hedwig gave Ron an affectionate nip and flew out the window.

He would wait to write Hermione later about the situation when he had a little more privacy. Ron grabbed a book to study and began to walk out of the room to go downstairs.  If he didn't know better, he could swear he heard Draco let out a small sob as he left the room.


	3. Learning About Family

Chapter Three- Learning About Family

Draco was lounging on the small couch in the living room of the Burrow attempting to study for potions, but his efforts ended up being in vain.  It was impossible to study right now with all the commotion that was going on.  

He couldn't help but smirk as he watched Ron and Ginny desperately chase the twins around kitchen and living room.  This was a difficult task since the Fred and George were apparating and disapparating every time one of their siblings got too close. The scene was rather funny, and Draco found himself watching them quite amused.

"Get back here you two!" said Ginny running around trying to catch one of them before they could disapparate again.

"FRED, GEORGE, FIX MY HAIR RIGHT NOW!" Ron screamed.  His normal fiery red locks were now bright pink and sticking up in every direction.  Ginny's hair on the other hand seemed to be an interesting shade of purple.  Draco didn't have the heart to tell them that their freckles had also been significantly changed.  They were now flashing different colors of the rainbow and they took on the effect of blinking Christmas lights. Ron caught Draco watching them and shot him a dirty look.  He laughed out loud as he saw Ron's freckles begin flicker faster at his mounting rage.

"Serves you right for trying a sample from our snack box!" said Fred.

"What! I didn't know…"

"Honestly, dear brother.  How do you live in this house after so many years and not at least suspect foul play from your handsome older brothers!" replied George.

Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen from the garden. She looked extremely annoyed with their childish antics. "Stop that nonsense this instant.  You know we will be leaving shortly. Go on and gather your things now."  With a flick of her wrist Ron and Ginny were set back to normal.

"Yes, mother," Fred and George replied together.  They looked as if she had spoiled their last bit of fun.

Fred and George had decided to finally opened their long awaited joke shop in Diagon Alley.  Although Mrs. Weasley was upset with the fact that her sons would not be completing their education at Hogwarts, she was proud of the fact that they had already began to be successful.  Their mail order catalog was a huge success and had immediately doubled their profits. They decided to live in a place of their own since their increasing need to experiment and make new products would only irritate the family to no end. Loud explosions had become ordinary at the Weasley household, but no less infuriating.  Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to help them get settled in their place above the joke shop, and then go on to Romania to visit Charlie.

Draco was a little sad to see everyone go.  He had finally become adjusted to life with the Weasleys, and wondered if all families were as fun and as interesting as this noisy bunch.  Draco could honestly say that he wasn't really friends with any of them yet, but they were civil to one another.  The Weasley children still harbored some deep rooted feelings against Draco for the way he had treated them in the past. However, he was allowed to join the family for some friendly games of Quidditch in the backyard. 

There seemed to be no end to the laughter and commotion.  Something was always going on with this crazy family.  In the beginning, it was all Draco could do to keep his sanity.  He was accustomed to being waited on hand and foot by house elves. He was also used to mostly silence since he was ignored in his own home more often than not.  Draco found himself taking long walks through the woods surrounding the Burrow when the loudness of it all got to be too much.

He loved those long walks and they felt like his salvation in some small way. He could always think more clearly when he was outside in the fresh air. He would often find himself contemplating what could have been if he were not born a Malfoy. Would he be the same person that he was today? Would he still be a Slytherin? He knew the answer deep down to that question.  He was no saint by any means, and he knew that was where he truly belonged. He was just as cunning and ruthless as his dorm mates, and that had nothing to do with his father's influence.

He thought about many things on those long walks.  He sometimes thought about the affection that he now regularly received from Mrs. Weasley.  He realized that he loved her in a way he never did with his own mother.  Narcissa rarely took notice of her son, and relied mostly on the help to raise him. Draco had many memories of him and his mother together, but nothing that he would substantiate as motherly love. She was just not affectionate in that way. Mrs. Weasley seemed to fuss over him about everything from dirty socks to taking third helpings during meals. Amazingly, he found her actions endearing, and he tried to find ways that he could be helpful around the house to pay back her kindness. 

He also thought about the relationships between each of the Weasley children.  Each one seemed to fill a niche within the household.  Beneath the constant bickering, Draco could see the finely woven lines that supported tied each family member together.  Bill and Charlie seemed to have a guiding influence on their younger siblings. They were someone that the younger children could look up to and idolize for their ambitions. Fred and George provided the family with the much needed comic relief in these dark times. Ron and Ginny's optimism and youthfulness embodied the hope that the future will get better. Draco really didn't know Percy that well other than from school because of his absence at the Burrow. All their lives in some small way held a purpose.  Draco wasn't sure he even had a purpose in life.

Mostly he also thought about his father on his long walks.  He shuddered at the mere thought of him, but Lucius consumed his thoughts nonetheless.  Draco, who once loved the man unconditionally, now loathed him.  He hated his father for brainwashing him into believing that he was superior to everyone else.  He hated his father for beating and belittling him all those years.  He hated the fact that his father was a death eater and had helped to resurrect He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He hated the fact that he was no better than a pauper now because he chose to turn his back on the Dark Lord. But the thing that Draco hated the most was the fact that he essentially no longer had a family.  He felt so utterly alone in the world.  It seemed as if there was no end to his mounting loneliness.

Draco made many other revelations on those long walks. The thing that shocked Draco the most was that the Weasleys, who were crammed into such a tiny place, were richer than he had ever been in his whole life.  Wealth seemed so insignificant when compared to the love and support these people held for one another.  This made Draco feel very envious that he was not apart of this wonderful family.  What was even worse was the feeling of guilt that he felt inside over all the times that he made snide comments to the Weasley children about being poor. The jealously he felt towards Ron, who was blessed with so many siblings was sometimes overwhelming.

Draco observed the Weasleys as everyone said their goodbyes to one another.  Even though they were most likely to see each other again soon, the goodbyes felt important because of the constant threat from the Dark Lord that loomed in their hearts.  Mrs. Weasley made it a point to include Draco in her goodbyes, and his heart swelled from the small action.  He watched as Fred and George apparated away to their new joke shop.  Mrs. Weasley followed Ginny into the fireplace so that they could floo over to Diagon Alley as Ginny was not yet old enough to apparate herself.

Mr. Weasley decided to go upstairs for a quick nap. The Burrow became very quiet again.  Draco took up his position again studying on the couch in the living room now that he would be able to concentrate once again.  He noticed that Ron had grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and sat down at the kitchen table.  He knew that he must be writing to Harry again. He could always tell when he was writing to him as opposed to Hermione.  Ron's entire mood changed when he wrote to Harry.  His body always visibly tensed and lines of worry could be seen creasing his forehead.  

Draco knew that Ron had repeatedly written to Harry, but had not received many responses, which Draco thought was pretty rude. Ron was still hoping that Harry could come to the Burrow, and made several threats to retrieve Harry himself if the order didn't do something about it.  Being the peacemaker that he is, Mr. Weasley wanted to make sure that it was okay with he relatives first. 

Draco often wondered why Ron was so concerned about him. Draco knew that Harry's godfather had been killed in the attack at the Department of Mysteries, but he didn't think that they knew each other all that well anyway.  Surely, Harry's relatives must be able to console him in some way.  Draco still held onto his belief that Harry Potter was treated like a golden child at home.  

As he yawned, he became vaguely aware of Ron sending the letter and some packages off with Pig and Hedwig.  Draco thought that the packages may contain some birthday presents for Harry because he had overheard Ron discussing it with his mother earlier. After reading the same paragraph three times to no avail, he decided to allow his body to succumb to the sleep that it was now craving.  He fell asleep on the couch in the living room, to lazy to make himself go upstairs.

Draco dreamt about Harry again that night, thankful that it wasn't another nightmare about his father.  It was always the same dream. The two of them were laughing as they flew across a field on their broomsticks.  Harry was making some bold maneuvers trying to impress him.  Draco was desperately trying to catch up to Harry, but he was always just out of reach.  Something was stirring deep inside of Draco.  Emotions he wasn't even willing to consider at the moment.  Emotions,  which could change his life forever.

A/N:  Don't worry, Harry finally arrives in the next chapter, and he isn't looking to well either.  I wonder what could be wrong….


	4. And Then There Was Harry

Chapter Four- And Then There was Harry

A rainstorm began raging outside the Burrow, and thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance.  It was a welcome relief because they hadn't had much rain this summer, and the garden certainly needed it.   Other than the sounds of the rain, things were quiet for once at the Burrow, which in itself is entirely odd.  Most of the family had left a few days ago, leaving Ron and Draco alone together. 

Dumbledore insisted that they all needed a break from everything, and the situation concerning You-Know-Who was relatively quiet at the moment. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny had helped Fred and George move to Diagon Alley and were currently visiting Charlie in Romania.  Ron was somewhat upset that he wasn't able to visit Charlie as well, but his mother explained that someone had to stay and keep Draco company. He reluctantly agreed to the task, hating that his enemy was keeping him from observing his brother handle wild dragons.

Ron found that he was quite proud of the Fred and George for following their dreams and setting up their joke shop.  He knew that he would still see those two a lot because they thoroughly enjoyed popping in and out of the Burrow, startling Ron every chance they got. But he was glad that he was no longer their primary test subject for their joke products.  He was still angry with himself for stupidly trying a piece of chocolate that was conveniently laid out on the kitchen table in a small box. Sweets never lasted long in this house, and they certainly would never be left behind on a table when they could be stashed away into some secret hiding place.  

Mr. Weasley and Bill still insisted on working tirelessly for the order. They took turns being home with Ron and Draco in order to ensure their safety.  Bill was currently upstairs catching up on some much needed sleep in Ginny's room.  He had looked utterly exhausted when he had first arrived home.  Ron was no longer privy to information surrounding the Order of the Phoenix, but he did see some of the members at the Burrow from time to time.  

Remus, Tonks, and Moody occasionally stopped by to check on the wards surrounding the Burrow and to sneak a home-cooked meal from Mrs. Weasley.  Remus appeared to be grieving still for Sirius, and was taking things pretty hard.  He was mostly quiet when he was around, and he seemed to ignore Ron altogether. Ron wondered if Remus partly blamed him for accompanying Harry to the Department of Mysteries.  After all, if they hadn't gone there that night, wouldn't Sirius still be alive? Ron was grateful that he hadn't had to see much of that git of a potions professor this summer. The few occasions in which Snape did stop by were to check up on his godson, Draco.

Draco and Ron and had become accustomed to each others presence at the Burrow.  They no longer addressed each other by their surname, and treated one another civilly.  They managed to avoid fighting again since that first night that Draco came.  They slowly began to learn about one another and respected each other in an odd sort of way.  Ron wondered what would happen between them once they returned to Hogwarts. They decided to avoid most serious conversations and stick to topics about Quidditch and homework.

They had resumed their usual late night positions while studying.  Draco was sitting on the couch in the living room. Ron was at the kitchen table.  He was unsuccessful at making himself crack open his history of magic homework, so he decided to write Hermione instead.  They were both deeply worried about Harry.  They hadn't received a thank you from Harry for his birthday gifts, which was very unusual.  The few letters that they did receive from him this summer said that he was fine, but they were far too short and to the point.  His mother and father insisted that he was probably still grieving for Sirius and that he didn't feel like writing much.  They believed wholeheartedly that the Dursleys were treating him fine because the order threatened to come and hex their family if they didn't.  Ron wasn't so sure.  He had already made up his mind to go retrieve Harry by the end of this week while everyone was gone if he did not hear back from his friend.

Ron suddenly became aware that Draco had stood up and walked to the window. He was squinting outside with an odd expression on his face.  "What's that coming down the road?" he asked.

Ron curiously joined him at the window.  Through the steady stream of rain they could make out twin lights beaming through the darkness bouncing along down the road.  They appeared to be attached to a rather large vehicle.

"Oh, I know what that is.  It's the Knight Bus! But who could be coming here at this time of night?"  Ron asked.  They watched as it came closer and closer, until it finally stopped some distance away.  They were unable to make out who the passenger was because of the pouring rain, but it was clear that this person was slowly making their way towards the Burrow.  

Ron was hoping in his heart that it might be Harry, but not being unable to see who it was made him feel a little apprehensive.  He wondered if he should go wake Bill just in case.  Draco and Ron looked at one another, nodded, and slowly pulled out their wands.  They were given permission to do magic over the holiday only in the case of an emergency. They had both agreed to carry their wands on them at all times just in case something happened. It was silly to think that a death eater would take a bus to the Burrow, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

The dark figure slowly crossed the rest of the distance to the house, and walked up the steps.  Finally being able to see who it was, Ron quickly put his wand away and threw open the door to let him in.

"HARRY!"

"Hi," Harry said quietly.  He was soaking wet from the rain and looking a little worse for wear.

Ron grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside.   Not caring about the fact that Harry was dripping wet, he pulled his best friend into a friendly hug.  He could feel Harry stiffen in his warm embrace and push him away slightly.  

"Ron, listen!  I know that if is not safe for your family if I stay here, but I have no other place to go.  I just needed a couple of nights to figure out what I am going to do next.  I just can't go back to that house right now!" Harry was pleading frantically to Ron.  His eyes were wild in fear as he glanced up at the taller boy.  He seemed oblivious to the fact that Draco was standing in the room.

Ron looked down at Harry, getting a good look at him for the first time. He looked extremely fatigued, and he appeared to be holding an invisible bundle in his left hand. His clothes were dirty and worn through and he seemed so much thinner than the last time he saw him.  Not knowing what was wrong; Ron feared the worst had happened to Harry over the summer.

"What are you talking about?  What do you mean you can't go back to that house? What happened?  Are you alright? Didn't you get my owls?" Ron began to berate him with too many questions at once.  After not seeing or hearing from his friend for so long, he was overwhelmed with emotion about the situation.

Harry glanced nervously over to Draco, seeing him for the first time.  The blonde haired boy had not moved from his position by the window since he came in. Harry looked back and forth between Ron and Draco with confusion.

"What? I don't understand?  Owls?" Harry asked tiredly. It appeared as though it were taking a tremendous amount of energy for him to remain upright. 

"Yes! Hermione and I have been owling you all summer.  Dumbledore said it was okay for you to stay at the Burrow for the remainder of the holiday.  He had to put up some wards around the house because of Draco."

"Really? I didn't get any owls. Why is he here anyway? So it is safe for me to be here?" Harry began to ask his questions quickly, unaware that he sounded a lot like Ron's early ranting. He looked somewhat relieved that he would not bring anyone else close to him in danger.

"Yes! How did you not get any of my owls?  You wrote to me back a few times!" Ron was getting irritated that he was getting the answers that he wanted, and tried to be a little more forceful.  He noticed that Harry seemed to cower slightly as he raised his voice.

"Oh...well…my uncle told me what to write in those letters. I was never allowed to read any of my owl mail," said Harry.

Ron was noticeably furious. "THAT UGLY BASTARD! I knew something was wrong.  Why weren't the owls able to reach you?  They all came back empty handed. Did he put bars on your window again?"

Harry flinched and looked down. He was unresponsive to Ron's last question. Ron looked over at Draco for some support, but he was wide eyed at the course their conversation had taken. He wasn't going to be much use.

"Harry?" Ron asked again.

"No, he didn't put up the bars again," he said quietly.

"Than what happened Harry? Why can't you go back there?"

Harry looked over at Draco and then back at Ron. He could see that Ron was going to let the situation go and sighed deeply. "I was locked back in the cupboard again," he said quietly.

Ron and Draco gasped at this comment at the sometime.  They looked at one another horrified.


	5. Revelations

Chapter 5- Revelations

"No, I was locked back in the cupboard again," he said quietly.

Ron and Draco gasped at this comment at the same time.  They looked at one another horrified.  Draco could not believe that his relatives would do something like that.

There were few moments in which it was eerily quiet. Examining Harry more carefully, Draco realized for the first time that he was rather small for his age.  So much so that he could probably pass as a third or fourth year student.  He appeared to be wearing some type of muggle clothing that was much too large on his frail body.  His jeans were held up by a frayed rope, and there were tears in the worn fabric of his shirt.  His glasses had apparently been broken at the bridge and taped back together using cellophane tape.  He was in a frightful state.

He looked so sad and lonely looking down at the kitchen floor. Harry was now shivering from being caught in the rain and hastily moved one arm carefully around his waist in a vain attempt to keep himself warm.  The other hand still hung tensely at this side appearing to hold some invisible bundle.  

Everything he ever thought he knew about Harry was crumbling down around him.  He was supposed to be the savior of the wizarding world.  The god damn Boy-Who-Lived!  Draco had always believed that Harry was spoiled rotten at home, and that he lived off his fame. And now here was Harry looking like a broken shell of his former self.  This was not the way things were supposed to be.  Draco found himself completely confused at the situation as if his brain didn't want to comprehend the sight before him.

The light was pretty dim in the small kitchen, but that didn't prevent Draco from noticing the faint bruising around the boys face and neck.  He didn't think Ron had noticed it yet, but Draco certainly recognized the signs of abuse when he saw it.  He was all too familiar with this type of treatment. Draco started to reflect back on all the injuries that he had sustained living with his father. He wondered to what extent Harry had been hurt. Clothes had a way of hiding the more serious of injuries. 

Thinking about his past and Harry, Draco felt something inside him began to stir again.  Surprisingly, he realized that he was angry that his known enemy, Harry, was treated this way.  But worse yet were the feelings that compelled him to want to go and comfort the boy.  He always wished that someone would comfort him after his father had finished with him, and his mother was never to be found during those horrific episodes.  He restrained himself from the urge to comfort Harry and watched the interaction between the two best friends instead.

Ignoring Draco, Ron motioned Harry to come have a seat at the kitchen table.  Draco decided to stay put in the kitchen and lean against the wall so that he could observe the scene properly.  He knew that he was listening to a conversation between two friends that should be private, but there was no way he was going to miss this.  Ron reached out to touch Harry's shoulder, but he shied away from the gesture.

Ron began to question the small boy. "Harry, he locked you up again?  Why? How long? Are the Dursleys starving you again too?  Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

Draco looked at Ron annoyed with his stupid questioning. Didn't he understand that Harry was incapable of processing all those questions at once and form an intelligent response? He looked scared out of his wits.  Draco noticed that Harry sat at the table numbly, still shivering.  It looked as if he wasn't going to try answering any of Ron's questions.

"Draco, go make Harry some tea.  And find him something to eat. Maybe a sandwich or something," Ron ordered Draco. 

Draco threw Ron a look of utter disgust, but went about fetching the food anyway.  He knew his way around the kitchen pretty well by now, and started putting a sandwich together while the tea boiled. At least now he wouldn't be accused of eavesdropping in their conversation. Besides, Harry did look like he could use a bite to eat. He was fretfully thin.

"Harry, are you okay?  What happened? Are you hurt? How did you escape? Why didn't you just floo over? Do you want me to contact…Si...I mean, Professor Dumbledore?"  Ron caught himself quickly. He had almost slipped and said his dead godfather's name.  Draco listened carefully as he gathered something to eat for Harry.  The small boy was silent after each one of the questions, not daring to look up from his unwavering focus at the table.

When it seemed that Harry finally had had about enough of the questions, he made it clear that he did not intend on talking about anything right now by shaking his head slowly from side to side. His messy black locks dripped rain water onto the floor. He held up his right hand to stop Ron's incessant questioning. 

"Ron, not right now. Okay?  I only want to shower and go to bed. Do you mind?"

"Uh… no…go right ahead.  As long as you are all right. There should be fresh towels in the bathroom, and you may sleep on the guest bed in my room."

"Fine," said Harry.  He got up slowly from his chair and plopped his invisible bundle on the table.  A shimmery cloak appeared before them. Within its folds, they could see Harry's wand and a photo album. Harry looked as if he no longer cared about anything anymore.  He turned towards the steps, wrapping his arms around his waist, and gradually made his way upstairs.

Once Harry was out of earshot, Draco turned to Ron to ask him a question.  "Ron, didn't he imply that he ran away from the Dursleys?"  Ron turned toward him and looked at him suspiciously.

"Yeah, why?"

"Don't you find it odd that he ran away and yet he doesn't have a trunk or a bag or anything?  All he brought with him is his wand, an album, and an invisibility cloak.  Where is the rest of his stuff?"  Draco asked.

"You're right! I wonder what happened. Maybe he didn't get a chance to pack or something.  I am so worried about him. He is not acting like himself.  We got into a huge fight last summer when he found out we were staying at the order's headquarters and he wasn't.  He must of screamed at me for at least a half an hour. I thought for sure that he would be furious when he discovered that you were here all summer and he wasn't.  He acted like he didn't even care. That is so unlike Harry."

Draco shrugged his shoulders. He really didn't know the boy all that well to pass judgment, but he did seem to be acting differently.  He couldn't get the image of Harry when he first saw the small boy out of his mind.

"He will probably need something to change into after his shower. I doubt he will want to put those wet and dirty rags back on," said Draco.  Ron glared at him for his comment about his clothing, but knew he was right.

"I guess I will go upstairs and find him some pajamas.  He mentioned getting some rest.  Do you mind sleeping in the twins' old room?"

"No, I guess not," said Draco. He really didn't care that he was getting kicked out of the room at this point.

"Thanks," said Ron.

"Hey Ron?" Draco was still thinking about the bruising on Harry's face, and wondered to what extent his relatives had abused. 

"Yeah?"

"Something is definitely wrong with Harry.  He had some bruises on his face, and I recognize the signs. Should we tell Bill or your father?" Draco asked carefully.

"I noticed the bruises too, but he doesn't seem to want to talk about it right now. I am going to wait on telling someone until I know for sure what is wrong. I don't want to cause any alarm unnecessarily.  I am going to go on up and check on him."

Draco nodded and watched as Ron ascended the stairs.  He looked over at the forgotten sandwich he had made, and decided to place it in the food keeper until tomorrow.  It was about the size of the breadbox and was used by wizarding families to keep foods fresh. 

Draco sat down at the kitchen table and thought about Harry.  He looked like an emotional wreck.  Draco decided that he was going to try and gain his friendship so that he could help him overcome whatever abuse had taken place.  Maybe they could be something more.  Draco certainly had enough dreams about the boy to realize that he was beginning to have feelings for him. No matter what happened, Draco knew that he had a lot of apologizing to do in order to gain Harry's trust.  And apologizing was not something he had ever done before.


	6. Discovering Secrets

**Warning:**  This chapter contains descriptions about _ abuse. If you do not like to read about these topics, then don't read. Wow, that was simple._

Chapter 6- Discovering Secrets

Ron made his way up the many stairs of the Burrow thinking about the conversation he just had with Draco.  Where were all of Harry's things?  Why did he runaway in the middle of the night? And most importantly, were the bruises on his face an indication of more serious injuries hidden beneath the hideously large and worn out clothing?  He felt pretty confident that whatever was wrong with Harry, it had nothing to do with the death eaters or Voldemort.  Deep down Ron knew that the Dursleys had inflicted their irrational hatred upon him.

He walked past Ginny's room in which Bill was softly snoring. He continued to climb the stairs and passed by the bathroom where he could here the water running in the shower. Finally reaching his bedroom, he opened the door and walked over to his wardrobe.  After shuffling through various hand-me-downs, he found a pair of old pajamas that looked small enough to fit Harry. 

 It didn't seem right that the boy had hardly grown since their first year. Ron had grown considerably over the summer and now towered over the twins.  His mother had broken down and bought him a few new pieces of clothing when she could no longer magically alter his existing clothes. Draco had shot up a few inches as well, but his height was nothing compared to Ron's. 

Ron made his way back to the bathroom, and knocked on the door.  "Harry?'

There was no response so he tried again.  "Harry?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders figuring that he must not have heard him over the drone of the shower.  He turned the knob and pushed open the door.  They had lived together as dorm mates at Hogwarts for five years now so he thought nothing of fact that he might be intruding upon the boy's privacy.  What he saw when he opened the door made his blood run cold.

"Harry!"  Ron dropped the pajamas and hurried over to the small boy dreading what he may discover.

He found Harry on the floor of the shower curled into a tight little ball, the hot water still pouring down upon his back.  He had his thin arms around his knees and was rocking himself gently back and forth.  Silent tears were streaming down his face.  His green eyes seemed unable to focus on anything in front of him.

Ron turned off the water and kneeled down next to his best friend.

"Harry? Are you okay?"  Ron was scared and could barely get the words out due to the thick lump in the back of his throat.  He was deeply disturbed by the sight before him.  His eyes began to water with sympathy for what his best friend must have gone through.  Harry ignored him and continued to rock himself back and forth.

A wash cloth was laid beside the boy.  It appeared as though Harry had attempted to scrub his skin raw.  His arms and legs were an angry red.  Beneath all the redness were layers and layers of bruises.  Some were dark purple and seemed fresh.  Others were a funny yellow which indicated that whatever had happened to Harry was not an isolated incident.  His back matched his arms and legs, only its condition was much worse.  In addition to the many bruises, Harry had several large welts in criss-crossing patterns over the entire length of this back.  Ron realized that this must have occurred while being beaten with a belt.

'Oh, gods!  What did they do to you?' Ron thought to himself.  He was furious with the Dursleys. How could they do this to a member of their own family?  A child no less!  He was also furious with himself for not realizing that this was going on.  He should have insisted that the order went to retrieve him at the beginning of the summer.  Why didn't anyone check up on him?  Did they really think that idle threats they made at Kings Crossing were going to have any affect on them? 

He hastily wiped a tear from his face with the sleeve of his shirt.  He knew that he had to get his emotions under control if he was going to be of any help to Harry. He reached out and put his hand softly on Harry's shoulder to get his attention.

"Harry? What happened?" tried Ron again.

"Don't touch me!" Harry yelled angrily as he tried to scoot away from his friend.

"Shhh…Its okay. It's me, Ron. I am not going to hurt you," Ron reassured him.

"But I am still so dirty," Harry muttered under his breath.  He picked up the wash cloth and attempted to scrub his legs in a haphazard fashion.

Ron wondered what he meant by that comment.  He wasn't sure he understood. He gently took the wash cloth from him.  "You are only going to hurt yourself even more.  Harry, how did you get these bruises?"

Harry looked away and shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Ron became very aware that Harry was still naked and he was probably feeling really vulnerable right now.  His friend still hadn't responded to his questions about his injuries, and probably wasn't going to any time soon.

"Would you like to get dressed?  I brought you some pajamas."

Harry nodded, but made no attempt at getting up.  Ron grabbed a large towel from the rack and stretched it out in front of Harry so he wouldn't be as embarrassed about his nakedness.  

Harry tried to grab the towel with one hand as he tiredly pushed himself off of the floor of the shower.  His movements were slow and awkward.  His face was grimacing in pain from the effort.

"Here, let me help you," said Ron.  He gently pulled Harry into kneeling position and wrapped the towel around him.  He then wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and pulled him up until he was standing.  He could feel his friend stiffen and begin to tremble from being touched. Seeing that Harry could stand on his own, he grabbed another towel and gently patted at the rest of his skin. "I am just going to dry you off so you can get into your pajamas. I am not going to hurt you"

Ron had to keep him from gasping in shock as he noticed that Harry's ribs were visibly sticking out from his chest and that his stomach looked smaller.  He was positive now that the Dursleys had continued to starve the poor boy, and that he was probably suffering from malnutrition.  One side of his chest was a deep shade of purple. Ron wondered whether or not he could have some fractured bones in addition to his other injuries.  The bruising that he saw earlier on his neck was much more apparent.  The red and purple marks on his skin looked suspiciously like hand prints.  Did someone try to strangle him?

After drying Harry off, he handed Harry his glasses, which he found on the bathroom counter, and proceeded to help him into the pajama bottoms.  Now that he was semi-clothed, Ron was unable to resist comforting his best friend any longer. Filled with emotion he pulled Harry into a loose hug and said, "Oh, Harry, I am so sorry that this happened. It's going to be alright. I am going to take care of you.  You will never have to go back that awful place again."

Harry flinched and didn't return to his embrace.  His eyes appeared to be glazed over and he was very unresponsive.  Ron pulled back not wanting to hurt him any further.  He walked over to the cabinet over the sink and pulled out a jar of healing balm.

"I am going to put some of this on the welts on your back.  It will help you feel better until we can get someone to heal you properly," said Ron.

Harry continued to stare at the ground and made no indication that he had heard anything that Ron had said.  Ron went about applying the balm to his friend's back and noticed that he had cringed slightly.  He wondered whether the small action was from pain or from being touched.  After doing everything he could, he carefully helped Harry into the pajama shirt. 

"Can you tell me what happened now?" he tried again.  Ron wasn't really expecting an answer. He wasn't even sure that the boy was listening to him.  He had been so quiet since he entered the bathroom.

"Please, I just want to go to sleep," Harry replied.

"Okay, let's get you to bed."

He kicked aside the wet, dirty rags that Harry had worn to the Burrow. Ron slowly led him up to his room and pulled back the covers on the guest bed.  Harry crawled in and allowed Ron to cover him with the blankets.  Seeing that he was getting no where with finding out what happened, he decided to try questioning him again in the morning.  Right now he just needed some sleep.  His injuries didn't seem life threatening so they could wait to be healed until tomorrow.

The red haired boy made his way back downstairs. Upon hearing his older brother snoring away in his sister's room, he decided to wait until morning to inform Bill that Harry had arrived.  He had seen how hard his brother had been working lately, and he didn't want to disturb him.  He would ask his brother what he should do about getting Harry some medical help as well.  


	7. An Enlightening Experience

Chapter 7- An Enlightening Experience

Draco waited impatiently for Ron to return.  He was still slightly irritated with Ron for ordering him to make a sandwich, especially since it looked as though Harry wouldn't be eating it. He fully intended to give him a piece of his mind when he saw him next.  Draco Malfoy will not be treated like a house elf!

He wondered what was taking so long.  Nearly half an hour had passed now, and it was clear that Draco was not going to be able to resume studying.  His mind was still on Harry's unexpected arrival at the Burrow.  He had so many unanswered questions about the boy that it was nearly eating him up inside with curiosity.  Most disturbingly, however, was the fact that he was extremely concerned for Harry's well being.  Could he have suffered as much as Draco had at the hands of his relatives?  He shuddered at the thought.

Just when he decided he couldn't take it anymore and that he was going to investigate what was taking so long, Ron appeared on the stairway.  He was teary eyed and his face was a mixture of emotions.

As he stepped into the kitchen Draco asked, "What's wrong?"

"Why?  You don't care about anyone other than yourself," Ron snapped.  He made his way past Draco and sat down on the couch in the living room.  Draco sighed heavily at the nasty comment, and he made himself forget about the sandwich.  This being nice thing was harder than he thought. Draco followed him to the living room and sat down opposite of him on the couch.

"That's not true and you know it!  Other than that first night, I have not made one nasty comment to you out of respect for your family for taking me in. Believe me when I say that I haven't even wanted to either.  Everything is different now.  I told you already that I was going to be civil to Harry as well if he came here this summer. Now what happened?"

"I don't know. It's kind of personal, and I don't want to use anything against him in order to hurt him.  He has been through enough.  I am not fully sure that you are a changed person. Why should I trust you?" Ron replied quizzically.

"I know I have been nasty to you in the past, and I am truly sorry for that.  But I haven't I done anything to make you doubt me now.  I know that I am not fully welcomed here by your brothers and sisters, but I am trying my best to fit in," Draco said quietly.

"Did you just apologize to me?"

"Uh…yeah…I guess I did."

"Do you promise to apologize to Harry and Hermione as well?  You know you have been pretty awful to them both," said Ron.

Draco knew that was coming.  Damn, this apologizing business sucks. Taking a deep breath he replied, "Yes."

Ron nodded and sat back thoughtfully.  He wrapped his arms around his waist like a shield.  Draco sensed that he was thinking about Harry again and decided to test the waters about the subject.

"Please tell me what happened to him.  Maybe I can help.  I sort have some experience with this stuff, you know," said Draco.  Did I just say please?

Ron's right hand came up to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose. He looked like he has a headache or something. He looked back over to Draco and began to unfold Harry's tale, or at least what he knew about the situation.  "Well, you heard him say that he was locked in the cupboard again, right?"

"Yeah, I was wondering about that."

"The cupboard is under the stairs at the Dursleys house.  It was his bedroom for ten years of his life.  The Dursleys gave him Dudley's second bedroom when he started Hogwarts because they were scared of the fact that his Hogwarts letter was addressed to the 'cupboard under the stairs.'  I saw it once when we picked him up to come to the Burrow. It is really small."

"So the Dursleys are pretty awful to him? I was always told that he was spoiled rotten," said Draco.

"They hate him.  The only thing spoiled rotten in that household is Harry's whale of a cousin Dudley.  Harry is treated no better than a house elf.  He is forced to do all the chores in the house and isn't allowed to have any friends.  I don't think Dudley has ever lifted a finger in his whole life," said Ron.

"Wow, I never knew.  It seems that I have been very misguided when it comes to Harry.  I allowed myself to believe the things my fa…my father told me." With that last comment, he took a chance and glanced at Ron. The red haired boy nodded knowingly. Wanting to change the subject back to Harry instead of thinking about his father he asked another question.  "Why did you ask if they were starving him again?"

"Well, because in my second year the twins and I had to rescue Harry from the Dursleys.  They had him locked in his bedroom and put bars on the window so he couldn't escape or receive any owls.  That barely even fed him.  By the time we got to him he was skin and bones.  That's why each year we send him food packages and sweets.  When his cousin is on a diet, Harry has to be on one too. Haven't you ever noticed how small he is for his age?"

"Not until recently, no. Do you think he is so small because he is malnourished?"

"Possibly," said Ron.

Draco was very impressed that Ron trusted him enough to tell him this much information so far. He couldn't help but ask his next question.  "Why do they hate him so much?"

"I guess it's because they hate everything that has to do with magic.  He didn't even know about our world until he received his letter.  I don't think Harry even knows what it is like to be truly loved.  Do you realize that he had never celebrated a birthday or received a Christmas present before coming to Hogwarts?" asked Ron.

"That's awful!  Surely they must have given him something!"  Draco was clearly astonished.

"Nope. They have never given him anything that wasn't a hand-me-down from his cousin.  All the clothes Harry wears are enormous on him.  That why every year my mum makes him one of her special Weasley sweaters.  We do what we can to give him gifts for his birthday and Christmas."

"I just figured that his clothes were some odd muggle fashion trend.  I had no idea," said Draco.

"He calls his friends his real family.  Can you imagine living your life unloved by your own relatives and knowing that your parents died protecting you?  I know he feels guilty about all the deaths surrounding him.  It eats him up inside.  First his parents, then Cedric, and now Siri…Sirius," Ron said tearfully.  Apparently he felt the loss of this person as well.

"I heard about both Cedric and Sirius from my father.  I can't imagine what Harry must be going though.  Were they really that close?" said Draco

"Yes, he and Sirius were very close. He was like a father to him.  Harry had always hoped that one day he would be able to go live with his godfather and leave the Dursleys forever.  You know he was innocent, right?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, I gathered that much from the death eater meetings."

Ron looked at blond haired boy suspiciously.  "It's not what you think. I never wanted to go to the death eaters' meetings. I was forced to.  They were awful," said Draco.  He had never told the Weasleys anything about how he had come to choose to side against the Dark Lord.  His response seemed to be enough for Ron.

It was quiet for the next few minutes as they both sat and thought about the conversation they had so far.  It was the most they had ever said to one another at any one time.  Draco realized that there was something still bothering him.

"Ron, I am glad that you have told me about Harry, but you haven't explained what happened to cause those bruises on his face and neck."

Ron sighed heavily. "I am not exactly sure what happened because he won't tell me yet.  He is hurt pretty bad and I suspect that it is because of the Dursleys."

Draco listened intently as Ron proceeded to tell him what happened when he found Harry in the shower.  It was worse than he had expected.  How could anyone hurt a child like that?  Draco wondered about Harry's uncharacteristic behavior.  Maybe there was something else going on that Ron didn't know about.  Draco couldn't remember ever reacting that badly when he was abused by his father, but then again he knew he probably didn't go through as much as Harry had.

"Will he need a doctor?" asked Draco.

"Yeah, I am going to ask Bill in the morning what we should do about getting him healed. I think we need to contact Dumbledore as well. I feel that Harry just needs to rest right now.  Maybe he will be more willing to talk about what happened tomorrow," said Ron.

"Did you ever find out what happened to his things?'

"No," said Ron softly.  "Maybe we could go get his stuff from the Dursleys if its still there."  Draco nodded.

"I am going to go upstairs and check on Harry. I am pretty tired. I will probably try to sleep as well," said Ron.  And with that he returned upstairs.

Draco sat alone in the living for a few minutes. He was beginning to understand that he and Harry were more alike than he ever thought possible.  All of the hidden feelings he had begun to explore in his dreams were beginning to manifest themselves in his conscious brain. His heart felt heavy with worry and anguish about what Harry had suffered.  The guilt of treating him so badly over the last five years was overwhelming.  Harry was right to refuse his hand on the train during their first year.  Draco had been so awful to him.  Would he ever accept an apology from him?  Would he ever allow Draco to become close to him?

Draco rose from the couch and proceeded his way upstairs.  He could hear Bill snoring in Ginny's room and wondered how he could sleep so soundly.  Upon finding the twins' room, he opened the door and walked to the nearest bed.  He fell upon it fully clothed realizing for the first time he was exhausted.  He felt like his brain was mush after all the information he received about his former enemy.  Before he knew it he was sound asleep.

He dreamed again about Harry that night, but the dream wasn't about them flying as it usually was.  This time Draco was in a dark forest searching for Harry.  For some reason he knew that the raven haired boy was there, but he couldn't find him.  Finally, he could hear Harry crying for help in the distance. He panicked as he ran wildly through the trees as sense of dread filled his heart.  He screamed his name over and over again, but there was no answer.  He felt so lost!

Suddenly he woke up in a cold sweat.  Someone or something had just woken him from sound sleep.  He heard the noise again and recognized where it must be coming from.  He tore out of the room to see what was wrong.


	8. Nightmares

**Warning:**  This chapter may contain descriptions about _abuse. If you do not like to read about these topics, then don't read. Wow, that was simple._

Chapter 8- Nightmares

Ron had come upstairs after his conversation with Draco and changed into his pajamas.  He climbed into bed and found himself thinking about Harry. He could hardly keep his emotions under control.  So many things have happened to his best friend in his short life, and finding out that the Dursleys had abused him as well was just overwhelming.  Had this been going on all along?  Why didn't Harry ever tell anyone? What was going to become of him?  Who will look after him now that Sirius is gone? 

Ron was determined to protect Harry from his relatives and whatever happens in the future.  His friend has had to face too many obstacles alone. Ron made himself a solemn oath that he would do whatever it takes to ensure Harry' safety no matter what happened. He still felt guilty about not being able to do more at the Department of Mysteries on that faithful night. He watched over Harry's sleeping form for quite a while until he was able to fall asleep himself.

Ron had only been asleep an hour when he was awoken by the sound of Harry's frantic voice screaming into the night.  He must be having a nightmare again.

"SIRIUS….NO….IT'S NOT TOO LATE! WE CAN STILL SAVE HIM!"

He knew that his friend was reliving the death of his godfather. Harry was thrashing about the bed. The covers had long been kicked off of his small body. Ron crossed the room and gently tried to shake his friend awake.

"Harry, it's okay. Wake up," he tried.

"No…SIRIUS…I am so sorry… so sorry…all my fault…all my fault..." Harry was now sobbing with grief.

Ron knew that Harry was creating quite a commotion so he wasn't surprised when he saw Draco standing in the doorway.  Oddly he was still fully clothed at this late hour.  He looked at the blond haired boy with disinterest and resumed trying to wake his friend.

From experience, Ron knew that Harry was a heavy sleeper. His current tactics on rousing him were not working so well so he became a little more forceful.

"HARRY!  WAKE UP NOW! IT'S OKAY!" He grabbed the boys shoulder and shook it roughly.

To Ron's utter surprise, his friend reacted very badly from being shaken like that.  Harry jolted away from his unseen attacker, his eyes wild with terror.  Not being able to see in the dimly lit room, he pushed himself away and fell between the bed and the wall.  He scooted into the corner and cowered there his entire body shaking.

"I am so sorry Uncle Vernon…didn't mean to wake you …please don't…so sorry…" Harry pleaded.

_Oh gods!  He thinks that I am his uncle and that I am going to hit him for waking me.  _Ron knew that he had to get through to Harry quick.  The boy was more terrified than he had ever seen him before.  Ron came around the twin bed and kneeled before his friend.

"Harry…shhh…it's me Ron.  I am not going to hurt you…shhh…"

"…so sorry…please don't hit me…I'll be good…"

"Harry, it's Ron…you've got to snap out of it…" He gently reached out and put his hand on his arm to calm him.

"Ron?"

"Yes.  You had a nightmare, and I tried to wake you. I am sorry if I scared you.  Are you okay?" asked Ron.

"I am sorry.  That was so stupid of me to act that way," said Harry

"No it wasn't. It's okay to be scared. Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry had calmed down now.  He looked past Ron and saw Draco standing over by the door way.  "Why is he here?"

Ron thought that he meant why was he here in the room.  He asked Draco to leave so that they could have some more privacy.  The blond haired boy scowled and left the room haughtily.  "Sorry about that."

"No, why is he here at the Burrow?"

"Oh, because he decided that he didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps in becoming a death eater.  It's kind of a long story.  We have sort of made our peace with each other.  He is not that bad of a guy once you get past his cold exterior," said Ron.

"Oh."

"Harry, you thought I was your uncle when I tried to wake you, didn't you?.  You kept saying sorry.  Did you think I was going to hurt you?" Ron asked carefully.

Harry nodded his head.  "Sorry."

"Stop apologizing. There is nothing to be sorry about.  Is your uncle the one who gave you all of these bruises?"

Harry nodded his head again.  It wasn't much, but at least he is responding to his questions now.  They were still sitting between the wall and the bed.  

"What happened?  I thought the order threatened to hex them if they hurt you."

Harry laughed darkly.  "Uncle Vernon didn't like being told by the order what he could and could not do with his family.  He thought that I had set them up to it so I was punished.  He made sure that I couldn't write anyone for help by locking me in the cupboard. He even went so far as to intercept the owls and burn the letters so that I couldn't read them.  He _allowed_ me to write everyone occasionally so no one would get suspicious. "

Ron encouraged Harry to continue.  "Go on, Harry. Tell me what happened."

"I was only allowed out of the cupboard to do my chores in the house. When I didn't get them done in time, Uncle Vernon would beat me. Dudley is back on his stupid diet so you can imagine how much I have had to eat all summer.  The only way he will stay on it is if my portions are smaller than his."  Harry's voice was fairly even, but he was beginning to shake again and tears were now sliding slowly down his face.  

"What happened to all of your things?  You didn't bring much with you when you ran away.  Is there any chance we can go get them?"

"No.  He burned everything when we got back to Privet Drive.  The only thing I have left are my wand, cloak, and my photo album that I had hid under my clothes when I left the train station.  I was going to put the under the floorboards in my room in case he locked my trunk in the cupboard again.  I didn't expect to be thrown into the cupboard myself," Harry said angrily.

"Oh, Harry. I am so sorry.  We can try to replace everything."

"And then…then… he…oh gods!  He told me that if I told anyone that he would kill me, and I know he would.  I was so afraid to use my wand because I came so close to being expelled last year.  I don't know what I would do if I couldn't return to Hogwarts.  He forgot to lock the door to my cupboard when he came home drunk that night so I ran away."

Harry was sobbing uncontrollably now. Ron was somewhat taken aback because he had never really seen Harry cry before. At least not like this.  Ron was suspicious that there was more to the story, but his friend was so distraught that he decided to let it go for now.

Ron pulled Harry into a hug and held on to him.  He gently rocked him back and forth, and whispered things softly into his ear to calm him like his mum would.  Harry's sobs got quieter until he finally pulled back and looked down again.

"Sorry."

"It's okay Harry.  How long has this been going on?  Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"They have beaten me ever since I can remember, but it never got this bad.  I grew up with it so it seemed normal.  I didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts because I had enough going on being the Boy-Who-Lived.  I didn't want people to feel bad for me. I just wanted to be normal for once."

"I wish you would have told me about this sooner," said Ron.

"I didn't want to be a burden on anyone.  With Voldemort being back, Dumbledore said that I would only be safe from him at the Dursleys.  I have some kind of protection there because of a blood tie with my aunt. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt like Sirius and Cedric did. Oh gods…I miss Sirius so much…it hurts."

And with that last comment, Harry cried out with a heart breaking sob.  Ron reached out to comfort his friend again.  Ron was now crying openly as well. He began rubbing small circles on his back until he calmed down again.  

"Listen, why don't you try to get some sleep now?  In the morning, we will tell Bill or my father what has happened, and we will get you someone to heal you properly. Madame Pomfrey is sure to come once we tell Dumbledore. Your injuries are pretty serious," said Ron trying to comfort his friend.

"WHAT?  I never said that I wanted anyone else to know.  Do you realize what it took in order for me to tell you?" Harry was getting really agitated.

"But Harry, you are really hurt. You need help," said Ron.

"I don't care. I have lived with the pain before.  Do you know what will happen if you tell Dumbledore that my uncle beats me?  Someone is bound to find out, and when they do they will write all about in the papers. I couldn't bear it if anyone knew…..What would happened to me?  I would probably get sent to an orphanage or a foster family, where I will only end up getting everyone hurt. I don't have any other family, and I don't have Sirius to turn to!  I don't have anyone!" Harry yelled.

"Harry you have me and Hermione. And my parents adore you.  We would take you in before we allow you to be sent to some orphanage.  I doubt that Dumbledore would even allow that," said Ron reassuringly.

"Please, Ron. You can't tell anyone. I am begging you," he pleaded.

"Harry he needs to be punished for what he has done to you.  He needs to go to Azkaban."

"No…please….," Harry said emotionally shaking his head back and forth..

"I am not going to stand by why you are suffering in pain and allow that bastard to walk around free!" Ron stated angrily.

"Some friend you are!  I thought I could trust you.  I hate you! Get away from me!"

"Harry, I…"

"NO! Leave me alone!"  Harry pushed Ron away and gasped from the pain that it caused. He sat down on the bed crying again.

"Harry, listen you need help…"

"GO AWAY!"

Ron got up quietly and headed out of his room.  How did things go from bad to worse?  He hated the fact that Harry was so angry with him, but deep down he knew that he was doing the right thing.  Harry needed to tell someone or he would only end up back at the Dursleys, and who knows what would happen then.

He made his way downstairs and fell upon the couch in the living room.  This felt like the longest night in history.  Not being able to sleep, he sat in the darkness waiting for Bill to wake up or for his father to come home.  Either way he was going to tell someone that Harry was being abused and that he needed medical help.


	9. And Now They Know

Chapter 9- And Now They Know

Draco had a hard time sleeping last night.  He couldn't keep his mind from thinking about what Harry had told Ron last night. He was immensely irritated that he was asked to leave them room.  He had only come help, but he was rudely dismissed so he decided to stick around in the hallway and eavesdrop on their conversation.  Somehow the slytherin in him wasn't going to give up, and this was the only way to fulfill his curiosity. 

Hearing Harry's account of what happened to him was heart breaking.  Although he would never admit it, at one point Draco had slid down the wall crying in anguish over the physical and emotional pain Harry must have been feeling. It was all a little too familiar as Draco could relate to many of the things that Harry confessed to Ron.  He returned to the twins' bedroom when he heard Ron and Harry begin fighting.  He didn't want to get caught overhearing their conversation.  Sure enough, Ron came out of the room a short while later and proceeded downstairs.

Draco was still surprisingly tired and decided to go back to bed.  This time he made sure to undress and put on proper night clothing. His sleep wasn't restful to say the least.  All the things Harry said kept running through his head, and Draco found himself drifting in out of sleep dreaming about his father.  

He awoke early the next morning and decided to skip showering for the time being when he began to smell breakfast wafting through the air. His stomach growled hungrily at the prospect of eating again.  He had recently developed a healthy appetite with during his growth spurt.  Draco went downstairs to find Ron surprisingly cooking their morning meal.  He noticed that Harry hadn't come down yet.

"Hi," said Ron. "Hungry?'

"A little," admitted Draco.  "Harry still sleeping?'

"I guess so. I haven't been back up to check on him since I got kicked out of the room last night… I know you heard everything from the hallway," said Ron knowingly.

Draco's face blushed bright red with embarrassment over being caught.  "I am sorry. I was just curious."

"Don't ever repeat what you heard to anyone, or I will hex you until there is no tomorrow. You got it?" Ron said heatedly.

"Sure, no problem," said Draco as he grabbed a rasher of bacon.

At that point Bill joined them in the kitchen.  "Well, wonders will never cease little brother. Ron, are you actually cooking?" he joked with his kid brother.

"Bill, listen. I need to tell you something..," Ron began, but he was unable to finish because there was the sound of two large cracks just outside the Burrow.

Mr. Weasley quickly came in the kitchen door closely followed by Remus Lupin.  They looked very distraught over something.  Draco noticed that Remus in particular looked like he was in a really bad way.  Life had not treated him kindly and he was definitely taking Sirius's death harder than anyone expected.  His clothes looked even more frayed than they had when he was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in their third year.

"Ron, I am so glad you are up.  There is something I need to tell you.  Harry is missing, but we don't suspect that You-Know-Who is behind it. He may have run away.  The order has been searching for him all night.  Do you know where he may have gone?  We checked all of Surrey, headquarters, Diagon Alley, and Hermione's house so far."  Mr. Weasley spoke with a quick and firm voice.

"Dad, I was just going to tell Bill that Harry is here! He came in really late last night on the Knight Bus," said Ron.

Draco noticed that both Remus and Arthur looked at one another with relief.  They looked as though they hadn't slept in a really long time.  Everyone had longed since forgotten about their breakfast.  Remus glanced upstairs as if he could sense where Harry was.

"This is wonderful!  We never imagined that he would have gotten this far.  He was a smart boy for taking the Knight Bus.  Is he alright?  Do you know why he left the Dursleys?" Mr. Weasley asked his son.

"Yeah, I do. But I want to know something from you first.  I thought that the order had someone watching over him at all times in order to keep him out of harms way.  What happened to that glorious plan?"  Ron asked angrily. Remus was about to go upstairs, but stopped when he heard Ron's question. The man slowly turned around to face Ron curiously.

"What do you mean?  Of course we have someone watching over him.  The order has a rotation schedule.  Whoever is on duty must patrol the perimeter of the wards and search for possible invasions by death eaters or dementors," said Remus

"Did they ever check on Harry at the house?  Did they ever wonder why he never came outside?"  Draco questioned.  
  


"We were given strict orders to only approach the house during the night when everyone would be asleep.  To check on him during the day would possibly compromise our position," Mr. Weasley interjected.  "Besides, Remus had received a letter from him saying that he was fine.  Has something happened?"

"Yes something horrible has happened!  Before I tell you I want to know one last thing.  When did you discover that Harry had left the Dursleys?"

Draco looked nervously over at his former professor.  Ron was really dragging this whole thing out in revenge. Remus looked like he was going to kill someone. It was quite unnerving. He began to tell Ron what happened.  Every word sounded laced with venom. 

"That pathetic excuse of a human being Mundungus Fletcher fell asleep on the job!  When he awoke he realized that he was no longer able to detect Harry's magical signature in the house.  The wards were in tact so it couldn't have been the death eaters.  That could only mean that he had left at some point in the night.  Dung contacted the order straight away, and we have been searching for him through the night.  Now, WHAT IS WRONG WITH HARRY?" bellowed Remus.

Ron sighed heavily, "He doesn't even want me telling you this right now because he is terrified of what will happen to him. He tried to make me promise that I would keep everything a secret.  His uncle has been beating the crap out of Harry all summer.  He finally decided that he couldn't take it any longer and ran away.  He is hurt pretty bad.  I think he might need a doctor to heal him properly."

Draco nearly jumped out of his seat as a horrified Remus Lupin tore up the stairs to check on Harry.  He obviously cared about the boy a great deal.  Draco felt stupidly jealous as he watched the man disappear.  He wondered if anyone would ever be that outraged to learn that he had ever come to harm.  Harry was lucky to have these people on his side.

Turning his attention back to the room he noticed that Mr. Weasley had sat down and put his elbows on the table and his head in his hands.  He was shaking his head slowly back and forth and seemed distraught in light of this new information.  Finally, he was able to speak to his son.

"Ron, I am sorry we didn't listen to you about needing to bring Harry here to the Burrow at the beginning of the summer.  Did you know this was going on?"

"No," said Ron.

"You realize that I am going to have to fire call Dumbledore, right?"

"Yes, I know," Ron said sadly.  Draco knew that Harry had specifically told Ron not to tell Dumbledore.  By doing so, he was breaking his friend's trust.  

Draco looked over to him and said, "You are doing the right thing. I wish I had a friend like you to look over me when I needed the help."

Ron smiled at the blond haired boy.

"Did you know about this Bill?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"No, I slept through the night.  I can't believe that Ron didn't tell me straight away," said the oldest son.

"I didn't want to wake you until I knew what was going on," Ron argued.

"Why didn't you immediately owl me when Harry arrived at the Burrow?" asked Mr. Weasley

"I didn't realize that you had been searching for him.  I was going to tell you this morning.  It took him quite a while to tell me what had happened.  He was pretty out of it."

  
"Alright.  At least he is safe now."  Mr. Weasley went to the family's fireplace, threw in some powder, and in a clear voice said "Dumbledore."

Professor Dumbledore's head appeared in the green flames.  "Arthur, have you been able to located Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, Albus.  He is here at the Burrow.  I am afraid that you will need to come here immediately and bring Madame Pomfrey with you as well.  It is rather urgent."

After a few moments, the two adults came out of the fireplace.  They quickly dusted the soot off and asked where Harry was.

Draco watched as Arthur and Bill led them upstairs.  Ron stayed behind.  He was probably afraid to face Harry after betraying his trust.  After being quiet for so long, Draco felt compelled for some much needed conversation.

"You know, he is not going to hate you forever. He will see that what you did was the right thing.  He was hurt pretty bad," Draco offered.

"Maybe," replied Ron.

"Don't ever tell anyone I said this to you because I will hex you senseless, but I am jealous of you."

"WHAT! Are you out of your mind?  What are you playing at?" Ron responded suspiciously.

"No really.  You have things I have always wanted that I will never be able to have."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Like family. You have lots of brothers and a cute kid sister. You have parents that love you unconditionally.  And you are friends with Harry," Draco added softly.  He wasn't sure why he felt the need to reveal all this information, but it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"So, you have…had money. My family rarely sees the stuff," said Ron.

Draco snorted at Ron's last remark.  "Yeah, and look where it got me. I don't have any friends that I can trust.  And now I have to live off the kindness of your family.  This isn't easy for me you know.  I have had to swallow my pride in gaping mouthfuls."  Draco smirked at Ron.

Ron chuckled.  Draco had an odd sense of humor.  "Why are you jealous of my friendship with Harry?"

If he only knew how loaded that question was.  Not willing to divulge any other personal information, Draco replied with a polite, "I don't know."

The two boys sat quietly with one another waiting for someone to return with some news about Harry.  Soon Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Professor Dumbledore returned from upstairs.

Dumbledore began, "Ron, thank you for taking such good care of Harry.  The healing balm you used was quiet helpful.  He will be staying at the Burrow for the remainder of the summer since there are wards already in place because of Draco." Draco gave a small leap for joy in his heart. They were finally going to get a chance to know one another.

"As for next year, that remains to be seen.  Remus will be stopping by to check on him periodically.  He is reasonably upset that the Dursleys have hurt Harry in this manner. He feels responsible for what has happened," said Dumbledore.

"I must leave immediately in order to determine what will happen to the Dursleys. We have not had a case like this involving muggles in a very long time.  It needs to be handled delicately.  I will return once I have more information. Thank you, Arthur, for allowing both these boys to stay with your family. I am deeply indebted to you."  And with that he gabbed some flew powder, yelled "Hogwarts," and disappeared.

"I can't believe this happened to poor Harry. He has already had to deal with so much with Sirius and everything," said Bill.

"I know.  We will have to help him make it through.  I am sure that Draco and Ron here will do their very best to help him as well. Am I right?" said Mr. Weasley.

"Absolutely," said Ron.

"Yeah, I will help too," said Draco

"I will have to owl your mother straight away. Oh, she is going to be so upset over this," said Mr. Weasley. He looked up inquisitively.  They could hear voices coming from above.

"I am going to kill that bastard for what he did to Harry!" Remus shouted angrily.

"Now, now Remus.  Please don't do anything rash. I don't think he would be able to bear if you went to Azkaban. Let Dumbledore take care of this properly," Madame Pomfrey tried.

They could hear their conversation coming down the stairs. Madame Pomfrey and Remus appeared in the kitchen, and it got very quiet. No one seemed to know what to say.

Finally Draco asked what he had been thinking about for the last few minutes, "Is Harry going to be okay?"

"Yes, of course, dear. I have been able heal him, but he will be quite sore for a few days. He had numerous bruises, cuts, and sprains and his ribs were slightly fractured. Because the injuries were inflicted by a muggle he will have some scarring on his back.  The scarring is minimal, however, and not that noticeable, thank goodness."

"Oh, that's good," said Ron.

"Harry is sleeping right now.  I have left some potions that will help with his injuries and a dreamless sleeping potion if his nightmares get too bad," she informed everyone.  

"Make sure, Mr. Weasley, that your wife does what she can to make him eat when she returns home. He is far too thin. I must be one my way.  Inform me immediately if his condition begins to deteriorate," Madame Pomfrey used the fireplace, just as Dumbledore had earlier, to floo away.

Remus had remained behind looking like he wanted to tear someone apart. Draco knew that the man was a werewolf, and his current disposition was frightening to say the least.

"Arthur, may I stick around to make sure Harry is okay?"

"Absolutely.  Why don't we try to salvage this breakfast and eat.  I am sure everyone could use good meal right now," said Mr. Weasley.

Draco and Ron nodded at one another, and set about making breakfast once again.  He really didn't know what to do since he always had house elves to make his meals so he made a pot of tea. It felt good to do something useful for once, even if it was just a small gesture.  It made Draco feel like he had a purpose.  Almost like he belonged.

A/N:  Remember, they have to floo from Hogwarts because you can apparate or disapparate from there. There will be HP/DM fluff later on!  They have a lot to resolve first.


	10. Healing

Chapter 10- Healing

Ron watched his best friend closely over the next couple of weeks.  Harry had recovered fully from his injuries, but still exhibited some uncharacteristic behaviors.  He interacted with the family and went about each day at the Burrow as he normally would, but something was different. It was as if he had almost completely drawn into himself. He didn't laugh quite as much as he used, and he was still uncomfortable at being touched.  Sometimes loud noises would cause Harry to flinch.  

Oddly enough, the only thing that seemed to reach Harry was his owl Hedwig. They both seemed to be thrilled to be reunited.  Maybe it was because Harry was able to be himself around his beloved pet because she was unable to judge him.  He would talk to her in the evenings about random things.  Ron believed that their conversations helped him feel more normal. As his one-sided conversations with Hedwig increased, so did his interaction with the Weasley family.

Harry had continued to have nightmares about Sirius.  He still had dreams about Cedric and his parents as well, and he blamed himself for their deaths.   By far the most horrific ones occurred when Harry awoke from his sleep thinking he was being pursued by his Uncle Vernon. Ron comforted him each time these dreams occurred. It was frustrating not ever being able to get any sleep, but he felt the need to help his best friend in any way that he could.  Harry seemed grateful to have him there and forgot about the fight they had when Ron threatened to tell Dumbledore.  Their friendship had grown stronger than ever.

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny returned home to the Burrow the instant they heard what had happened to Harry. His mother was constantly hovering around him making sure that he was okay. She offered third and fourth helpings of everything during meals to ensure that he was getting enough to eat.  She made him clothes to replace the ones he had lost. She even made it a point to tuck him in at night as if she were able to ward away any nightmares he may have before they had even happened.  

Ginny attempted to engage Harry in conversation every chance she got, chattering about things randomly. Fred and George stopped by periodically with samples from their joke shop in a vain attempt to cheer him up.  Harry always laughed, but would easily become distracted by his own thoughts.  Remus stopped by periodically check up on Harry as he had promised.  It seemed as if he were determined to fill the void that Sirius left when he died. He could never be his godfather, but he was going to be a constant presence in his life.

His family and Remus all meant well, but Harry seemed to need something other than what they were able to give him.  He needed someone to understand him. To know what he went through first hand so that he could talk to them without pity.  Ron knew in his heart that Draco was probably that person. He had also suffered abused from his own family.  Unfortunately, the irritating git was currently avoiding Harry for some reason.  He didn't seem to know how to make his peace with him, and was acting like his normal brooding arrogant self.

Ron and Harry had been continuing to correspond with Hermione.  She was devastated when she heard what happened to her friend.  Her letters always arrived with stains from her tears.  She wanted to come to the Burrow as well, but she was on holiday with her parents in France.  Her parents insisted that they spend the summer together because of what happened at the Department of Mysteries. It wasn't that they wanted to keep her from her friends; it was just that they missed their daughter even more now that they had learned they almost lost her.

Ron had asked Hermione for her advice about Harry.  He felt awful for what Harry had to go through, and he wasn't sure how to reach him.  She assured him that Harry just needed some more time to come around.

Ron tried his old tactics of playing chess and exploding snap to cheer up Harry, but to no avail.  It wasn't until he suggested they play a game of Quidditch did he start to see some of the old Harry that he knew and loved so well. Since his broom had been destroyed by his uncle, he borrowed one from the twins.  Harry seemed so much more alive when he was on the back of a broom.  He would swoop and dive and make any number of dangerous turns as he soared through the air. Because Harry enjoyed Quidditch so much, they decided to make this their nightly activity.  Even Draco had joined in the fun.  

Ron finally noticed Draco and Harry interact with one another.  Their conversations mostly included light teasing about who would get the snitch first.  They even borrowed fake snitches from the twins to confuse one another during the game.  They both learned to laugh at themselves and one another during those matches.   Draco seemed to particularly enjoy himself flying along beside Harry.

It was after one of their mock Quidditch games that they decided to surprise Harry.  He had been at the Dursleys during his birthday and it was understood that he had not received any of this gifts.  Ron kept him out playing later than usual so that everyone had time to prepare. Hoping he had waited long enough, he dismounted his broom and motioned to the others that it was probably time to go in.

When they walked into the dark kitchen, the guests illuminated the room with their wands and yelled, "Surprise! Happy Birthday Harry!"

Harry was shocked to say the least.  His mouth was hanging wide open. He glanced around to see all the smiling faces.  The entire Weasley family (excluding Charlie and Percy) were there as well as Professor Dumbledore, Madame Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, and Arabella Figg. "But it's not my birthday," he said.

"We know that dear, but we missed your real birthday so we thought we would throw you a belated party," said Mrs. Weasley.

  
"You didn't have to do that," said Harry quietly.

"No, but we wanted to," said Ron.

The night was a happy event.  Harry looked happier than he had been in a long while.  Ron hoped that this would be the first step in Harry being able to heal emotionally. They enjoyed the cake and ice cream and waited for Harry to begin opening his gifts.  He had a mountain of presents, and he seemed very shy about opening them.  Ron realized that this was probably the only birthday party Harry has ever had.  Harry smiled and thanked each person after each present he opened. 

Many of his gifts were things he needed to replace that had been destroyed by the Dursleys: robes, a cauldron, books, parchment and quills, and other miscellaneous supplies. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave Harry some Weasley jumpers. Ron had gotten him a snitch that he could practice with, and the twins gave Harry a Weasley Whizzes sampler.  Remus had given Harry a journal that Sirius had kept when they were marauders in school.  The gesture brought a tear to both their eyes, and they embraced each other warmly.

What was most surprising was the fact that Draco had gone out of his way to get Harry a gift as well.  Ron couldn't quite figure out how he had gotten it.  Harry was caught off guard when Draco quietly handed him the present.  They rarely interacted outside of their Quidditch games.  He looked at it as if the gift might explode at any second.  He slowly took off the wrappings to reveal a small ornate wooden box. It had rich, dark wood and it was quite beautiful.  Inside, Harry discovered a long silver chain in which a small intricately carved dragon was attached.  There was a small emerald gem in each eye.

"Wow, this is really beautiful. Thank you, but you didn't have to get me anything," said Harry.

"It's alright. It's a magical amulet. You're supposed to wear it close to your heart.  It will alert you when danger is near by getting really warm. I thought you might need it," said Draco softly.

"Wow, what a cool gift. Thanks again," Harry said looking at it in wonder. Draco nodded, evidently pleased with himself.  Harry looked like he didn't want to be rude so he put the chain around his neck and slipped it under his shirt.

After a joyous evening, the guests started departing.  Each one made it a point to give Harry a fond farewell.  Everyone had left except Dumbledore, who remained behind to speak with Harry and the Weasleys.  They had all been waiting for quite a while now to hear what would happen to Vernon Dursley, and it looked as if the time had finally come.

"I am sorry that I now have to ruin this wonderful occasion, but I deem it necessary.  Harry, I need to discuss with you what will happen to your uncle," Dumbledore said gently.

"Dear, would you like to speak with the Professor Dumbledore alone or would you like us to stick around for moral support?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"I guess it doesn't matter.  You will find out in the end anyway," said Harry.  They decided to sit down all together in the living room.  Some were sitting on the couch and chairs, and others were sitting on the floor.  

Finally Dumbledore began to speak.  "Harry, as you know, Madame Pomfrey collected evidence of your injuries in the form of a wizarding camera.  These pictures were taken to a trusted friend I have at the Ministry of Magic who works in the Department of Family Law.  After much deliberation, we decided that you definitely had a case regardless of the fact the injuries were inflicted by a muggle. We would rather have you press charges under our wizarding law than under the local law enforcement in Surrey because we would be able to control what happened to you afterwards.   If convicted your uncle would be sent to Azkaban for 10 years.  The ministry would have to obliviate the memories of your Aunt Petunia and your cousin Dudley. Their memories would be altered to think that your uncle had run out on his family.  This way they won't try to go to the police themselves with wild stories about wizards kidnapping their loved one. It's quite a tricky manner."

"So what are you saying? If I want to press charges than I have to go to court?" asked Harry.  Ron watched his friend carefully who was sitting by his side.

"I am afraid so. It is the only way to ensure that your uncle receives the proper punishment for all the harm he has caused you."

"If I go to court, will I have to answer their questions about what happened?"

"Yes, you may even be placed under the veritaserum if the court finds it necessary.  Unfortunately, neither you nor I have many people on our side at the ministry. It was one of the reasons why I created the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore.

"Will the press be allowed to attend the trial?"  Ron asked for his friend.  He knew that Harry had been worrying about this.  He had somehow ended up in the papers every year.  Most of the stories about him were not flattering and they caused more problems for him than anything else.  

"Unfortunately, the press have ways of retrieving information whether they are present in the court or not. I will not lie to you, there are so many leaks at the ministry that the information from the trial is bound to get out to the public.  We would like to bring Vernon Dursley into custody as soon as possible. I just need to know how you would like to proceed."

"What will happen to me if I don't press charges? Will I have to go back there next year?" asked Harry.  The tension in the room was overwhelming. Everyone was glancing at one another nervously. Ron had been worrying about this very fact since Harry had come to the Burrow. He promised his friend that he would never have to go back to that hell hole, and he meant it. He would even go so far as to rescue him and run away if necessary.  There was nothing that he wouldn't do for Harry.

"I will never let that happen.  We will find a suitable placement for you until you come of age.  I must strongly express that bringing forth charges on your uncle is the best thing to do. He needs to be punished for his crimes. Do you need time to make your decision?" said Dumbledore.

"No," said Harry.

"So you already know what you want to do?" he asked.

"No, I will not press charges. I can't take any more negative publicity.  I don't ever want anyone else to know what happened to me.  I don't care that he walks around free.  I just don't ever want to go back there," said Harry emotionally. Ron reached out to his friend and put his hand on his shoulder for support.

"Harry, if you don't press charges your uncle may ask that you return to his custody," said Dumbledore.

"But you said that you wouldn't let that happen!" said Mrs. Weasley angrily.

"Yes, and I won't let it happen.  However, the situation could get pretty ugly and the ministry holds a different set of values than I do when it comes to family.  By not pressing charges the ministry has no other course of action than to send you back to the Dursleys if they request you to.  I will do everything in my power not to let that happen, but it may escalate into an unfavorable situation.  There is also the possibility that the story will get out to the press."

"Damn it.  I am screwed not matter what I do!  I don't care! I will not go forward and tell the entire wizarding world what my bastard of an uncle did to me! It's bad enough that all of you know," shouted Harry. He was getting visibly upset and was shaking like a leaf.

"I understand Harry, but it is the best thing to do. He needs to be punished," said Dumbledore.  Everyone looked to Harry.  They were very worried about him.

"No, I won't press charges. They can't know!" And with that Harry got up very abruptly.  "I need to be alone," he said.  His face was red with frustration and tears were threatening to spill over his cheeks.

Harry walked out of the Burrow into the darkness.  Ron went to jump up to follow him, but felt his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Ron, let him be. He needs some time," he said.

He sighed, knowing that he was right.  The rest of the family was quietly talking to one another. His mother was speaking to Dumbledore now in the kitchen.  He suspected that she was probably requesting that Harry return to the Burrow during the holidays and each summer.  

Draco remained where he was seated, looking quite distracted.  Ron wondered what he was thinking about.  Was he thinking about Harry just now? Or was he thinking about his own father and what had happened to him?  Either way, the blond haired boy looked lost in his tumultuous thoughts.

Ron just hoped that Harry would be okay.  He was stronger than anyone else he knew, but everyone has their limits.  Hopefully, Harry hadn't reached his.


	11. Can You Ease My Pain?

**Warning:**  This chapter contains descriptions about _abuse and cutting. If you do not like to read about these topics, then don't read. _

Chapter 11- Can You Ease My Pain?

Draco had watched the altercation between Harry and Dumbledore with mixed emotions.  On one hand he agreed with his headmaster that the boy's uncle should be punished. Especially since his own father had escaped from prison and had yet to be punished for his crimes against his own son.  On the other hand, he knew that Harry was an emotional wreck and couldn't handle going through a trial at the moment.  Ron was right; the press would have a field day with the dirt that they could get on Harry would last forever.

Everyone was busy discussing what would happen to Harry.  Seeing that he was being ignored at the moment, he decided to go on one of his long walks. He needed to clear his head, and he was hoping that he might find Harry.  It never seemed like the right time to talk to him about anything.  Why did this have to be so difficult?

He followed his usual path through the trees listening to the sounds of the night. After about twenty minutes of sauntering along in the dark, he finally came upon the dark haired boy.  He was kneeling near a creek that went through the small woods that was near the Burrow. Illuminated only by the moonlight, Harry exuded an ethereal like quality. He was a dark haired angel among the monsters of this world. It was as if Draco could sense who Harry truly was beneath his frail body. 

Again, Draco was struck at just how small this boy seemed.  He looked so lost and alone in the middle of the woods. Harry had not yet noticed him, so he carefully walked around so that he could see the boy properly.

Upon closer inspection, Draco realized that his small frame was shaking with grief. Beneath his wired frame glasses, silent tears were streaming down his ghostly white skin.  In his right hand was a small kitchen knife that he was using to make small incisions unto his left forearm.  A sense of relief crossed his pale face each time he made another slit into his skin. Draco was about to run forward and grab the knife from is hand thinking that he was trying to kill himself, when he looked at the cuts that he had been inflicting.  They were no where near to being life threatening.  It looked as if this was the first time he had tried to do this type of thing because the rest of skin looked unmarred.

Why would Harry be cutting himself alone in the dark? Suddenly, Draco understood. Although he had never done it himself, he had often thought about cutting after his father had beaten him senseless.  He had a friend once that used to do it and said that it was the only way that he was able to cope when things got too bad.  The pain on the outside had somehow masked what he was feeling on the inside.

Draco was not sure what to do about the situation. He desperately wanted to talk to the boy, but he wasn't sure how. Five years of animosity had created a chasm between, and Draco was unsure of how to cross this void. He felt some of his old demeanor slip back into place as he approached him.

"Trying to forget everything?" he asked in his drawling voice, startling Harry.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Scare the hell out of me?" Harry asked, stumbling to his feet. He quickly erased the tears on his face with the sleeve of his shirt, and slipped the knife in his pocket.

"No, I was merely curious as to what you were doing," said Draco coolly.

"It's none of you business what I am doing. Did you follow me or something?"

"No, I go for a walk almost every day. I just bumped into you, that's all."

"Yeah, right.  Just leave me alone, okay?" said Harry softly.

"No, I won't," Draco said firmly.

"Excuse me?" said Harry taken aback.  The tension between them right now was enormous.

"I am not going to leave you alone because I am the only one who truly understands what you are going through right now. You need me."

"And how is that?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"Ron probably never told you the whole story about how I came to be here at the Burrow, mostly because he doesn't know all the details.  It's true that I didn't want to become a death eater, and that I am here for my safety.  I saw things that made me sick to my stomach.  I saw my father groveling at the Dark Lord's feet whenever he didn't please him.  I decided that it wasn't the life I wanted.  Just when I thought I could start making decisions for myself, my father escaped from prison.  He planned on taking my mother and me into hiding with him. I refused to go and he gave me a beating to remember.  I was able to escape him using a portkey that my godfather gave me. I then gave the order some valuable information about the Dark Lord and his followers that ultimately put my life in jeopardy.  That's why I am here. " 

"Did your father beat you often?" Harry said curiously.

"Whenever I didn't please him, yes," said Draco.  Harry gave him a sad look.

"Is your godfather Professor Snape?" asked Harry.

"Yes."  Harry nodded understanding now.

"Why were you such a prick all these years?"

Draco sighed, "Well, it's a lame excuse, but that is how I was raised to be.  I thought that I would be able to acquire wealth and power like my father by stepping on those who got in my way. I was brainwashed to say and do things just as my father would have.  I am no saint, but a lot of what I did to you and your friends was to protect myself and to please my father.  I am sorry for that. I was also upset that you had rejected my friendship," said Draco looking away.  It wasn't much of an apology, but he hoped that it would start to break down some of the walls that he felt around Harry.

"I guess I understand," said Harry.  "It sounds like your life was about as unhappy as mine."

"I always thought that you were spoiled rotten by your relatives.  I envied your life so much that it hurt.  I realize now how mistaken I have been. I am sorry that your family was so rotten to you. Don't be mad at Ron, but he told me a little about how they have treated you."

"Oh," said Harry.  Trying to change the subject the smaller boy asked about his remarkable gift. "Why did you give me this amulet? It looks very rare." Harry brought his hand up to his chest to rest upon the necklace under his shirt.

"It is extremely rare. It was handcrafted a century ago my one of my ancestors. It was a family heirloom that was past down to me."

"Draco, you can't give me something so special. Here take it back!" Harry made a move like he was going to retrieve it from under his shirt, but Draco quickly stopped him.

"No, it's yours now. I personally don't want anything that reminds me of my family.  You need it more than me anyway with the Dark Lord after you. It will keep you safe. Besides, the dragon's eyes match yours."

Harry looked up at him in wonder. Draco gave him a sheepish smile at his last comment and shrugged.

"Why are you so suddenly so concerned about my welfare? I thought you hated me," said Harry.

"Well, I thought I did at one time too, but I don't any longer. I have no reason to." 

The conversation in itself was very strange.  The two boys had never said more than a couple of sentences before to each other in their life, and now her they were practically bearing their souls to one another.  At some point they had both sat on the ground side by side.  

There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence.  Draco suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Harry's left arm, pushing up the sleeve. The dark haired boy struggled to pull his arm back, his green eyes looking at Draco frantically.

"What are you doing? Stop!" Harry yelled.

"Shhh... settle down. I just want to see how badly you hurt yourself."  Inspecting Harry's arm, Draco is relieved to see that indeed the eight or so cuts that he made were fairly small and that they were already scabbing over.    

"Why did you do this? Are you planning on killing yourself?"

Harry laughed darkly and yanked back his arm.  "Yeah, right. I can't kill myself even if I wanted to or else I would bring everyone to their doom. The fate of the entire wizarding world rests happily upon my shoulders," he said gloomily.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked seriously. "Does Dumbledore have you believing that you are bloody savior of the world or something?"

"Well…"

"What is it?" asked Draco.

"I haven't even told Ron or Hermione this yet. And if I tell you, you have to promise not to tell them.  They won't take it well."

"I promise you Harry that I won't tell another soul. I don't really have anyone to tell anyway."

"At the end of our fifth year, Voldemort tricked me into going to the Department of Mysteries so that I could retrieve a prophecy that they had stored in a room there.  The prophecy was destroyed, but Dumbledore explained that I was the one that he had marked, and therefore I have to be the one who brings him to his downfall.  Neither one of us can survive if the other one lives," revealed Harry.

"So you have to kill the Dark Lord, or he will kill you?"

"Yeah."

"That is a lot to handle. Dumbledore never told you this before?" asked Draco.

"No.  He probably thought I wasn't strong enough to handle it. Regardless of what others may think, I am not strong enough to handle a lot of things.  I am just a weakling when you get right down to it," said Harry sadly.

"Do you mean you feel weak because of what your uncle did to you?  Because if so, I can tell you that it wasn't your fault.  There is no way that you could overpower that bully without magic. I saw him once at the train station. He looks like a monster."

"It doesn't matter what I think, I can't change what has happened anyway. Besides I probably deserved what I got anyway."  Harry began to get teary eyed.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?"

"Listen Draco, you don't understand what it is like to be me so don't act like you do. It is my fault my parents are dead.  They were killed because Voldemort had learned of the prophecy and was trying to kill me.  I saw a muggle named Frank die in a vision I had through Voldemort. A witch named Bertha Jorkins died after he was done questioning her about the upcoming tri-wizard tournament, where he would lure me to his family graveyard through that damn portkey.  Cedric died because I told him to take the cup with me. And then Siri…Sirius…he died because I was too stupid to learn occlumency properly. I miss him so much…" Harry began to get really upset, practically hyperventilating.  His hands grabbed at the grass surrounding him to steady himself.

"Harry…." Draco began.

"Don't you see….IT'S MY FAULT THEY ALL DIED!" he yelled hysterically!

Draco could feel this boy's pain in every word; his soul was screaming in agony.  Harry began to cry openly.  He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them with his arms.  He rested his forehead on the tops of his knees in an attempt to hide his anguished face.  Draco slid closer to him and wrapped an arm around Harry's small waist.  At first Harry stiffened apprehensively from his touch, but then began to relax. They sat that way for quite some time.

The dark haired boy looked up inquisitively at the blonde. Draco was relieved that Harry didn't seem to be horrified to be embraced by a male for so long.  Draco was desperate to find some words to help his new distraught friend.

"Harry, it's not your fault that the Dark Lord is evil. It's not your fault that those people died.  You did not kill them. You can't go on blaming yourself," he tried to reassure.

"How am I supposed to defeat him when I can't even save myself from a mere muggle?  I will never be strong enough!" Harry looked away again. Draco willed himself to keep talking. This had been more difficult than he had anticipated. He knew that eventually he would be able reach Harry if he kept trying.

"You are one of the strongest people I know. Think about everything you have had to overcome each year. It takes someone pretty special to accomplish what you have. Besides, look at all the times you have faced the Dark Lord and come back alive. You are the Boy-Who-Lived! And Ron told me about how you defied Professor Umbridge last year and started Dumbledore's Army.  You are a true leader and a powerful wizard."

Harry looked at him his mouth hanging slightly open, apparently at a loss for words.  Draco studied his features carefully.  His very soul looked old and weary with grief.  His pale skin on his face was taught with worry, and his body was tensed with stress.  He knew he cared about this boy now, more than he ever thought possible. He wasn't even sure when it started, but he was determined to help Harry in anyway that he could. 

Feeling drawn to this beautiful creature in an incredible way, Draco gathered him in his arms. He embraced him tightly and rested his head on Harry's shoulder. After a moment Harry relaxed and did the same. He began to weep quietly. Pulling back finally, Draco lightly grabbed Harry's chin and forced his piercing green eyes to look into his grey-blue ones.

"Harry, I want to be your friend and help you in anyway that you can.  I will help you learn spells to defend yourself. I will protect you with every fiber of my being, but I need you to promise me something," said Draco tenderly.

"What?"

"If you ever feel like hurting yourself again, come to me first. I will try to help you in anyway that I can.  Don't use the knife again. You can really hurt yourself and I've been told that it is quite addicting," said Draco.

"I don't know. How do I know that I can even trust you?  You have been quite a prat to me all these years?" Harry looked at him as is if he were searching for answers by reading Draco's face.

"I will show you that you can trust me if you will let me. Will you let me?" he asked shyly. Harry thought about it and nodded quietly.

"Give me the knife, please," Draco demanded. Harry looked down and slid it out of his pocket. He gazed at it longingly before handing it over to his new friend. Draco quickly disposed of it into his own pocket.

"Please don't do this again.  I won't say anything to anyone right now, but I will if I learn that you are still hurting yourself.  Why did you do it anyway?"

Harry let out a sob and said, "It's just everything right now. I hate my uncle and I miss Sirius so much… He is the only one I felt I could really talk to, and now he his gone forever. It hurts so much… I was trying to ease the pain…"  His tears began to spill over his cheeks once again. He let out another sob that he seemed to be trying to hold back.

Draco reached over and tenderly placed a few gentle kisses upon his face, tasting his salty tears.  He was pleased that Harry had not pulled away from his gesture.

"It's okay. I will never hurt you again my dark haired angel. I am sorry for all the hurtful things I have ever done to you. I would like to start over if you let me?"

Harry looked up at Draco and nodded.  Draco reached out to him again and kissed him very sweetly on the lips.  He then brought him back into another affectionate embrace and held him, rocking him slowly back and forth. Nothing in his life had ever felt so right before this moment.  Was this love? Draco's body began to tingle with a warm and calming sensation. It was as if their souls were rejoicing after finally finding their long lost soul mate. He finally understood that this is what life was all about.  This is what was worth fighting for. He made himself a solemn oath; no one was going to hurt _his Harry ever again._

A/N:  I have fortunately never had any experience with abuse, rape, or cutting. I am writing this story purely on how I feel that these characters may react in this given situation. I do not intend to make light of these serious topics and I hope that I have not offended anyone who has experienced any of the above in any way.  The rape will not be revealed until future chapters in case you were wondering. The description will not be graphic either!


	12. An Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 12- An Unexpected Encounter

Ron felt awful for his best friend.  He had just had to make a very difficult decision about what do with his relatives.  Ron had certainly hoped that his uncle would be put a way for a very long time, but he understood that Harry didn't want the entire wizarding world to know what happened to him.

Ron was relieved to find out that his mother had requested that Harry stay with them each summer and during the holidays. Dumbledore seemed pleased that he didn't have to place Harry with another family, and he knew that the Weasleys would take good care of him.  He was like family anyway so it wasn't really a big deal.  Things were a lot easier on their parents financially now that the twins had moved out.

Ron was really worried about Harry right now. He had been gone more than an hour, and it was getting pretty late. When he left he had looked very emotionally unstable, and Ron was worried what the poor boy may do.  He had not idea where Draco had gone off to and he really didn't care anyway. Harry was what mattered right now.

Seeing that no one was watching, Ron slipped out the kitchen door and into the darkness.  He wasn't sure where he was going, but he knew that his final destination would be wherever Harry was currently.  He could see why Draco went on so many night time walks.  It was quite peaceful out here.  He could hear the sounds of several crickets quietly chirping, and the trees blowing gently in the wind.  He stopped for a moment to close his eyes and take in the cool night air.  

Not knowing where he was going in particular, he began to wander aimlessly.  After a half an hour or so, he heard voices in the distance. He stopped and listened carefully; trying to determine the direction they were coming from. He was unable to make out what they were saying.  He approached the voices cautiously, not knowing whether they belonged to Harry and Draco or a band of death eaters. 

Two lone figures came into view along side the creek.  One boy with a head of dark messy hair, the other boy with platinum blond hair softly glowing in the moon light.  He still could not make out what they were saying, but their position was certainly a compromising one.  The sight before him was not what he had expected to find.  He could see that each boy was kneeling on the ground facing one another. Still approaching the pair, he could see the tears glistening off of Harry's cheeks. What was going on? Is Harry hurt?

He watched as Draco tenderly kissed Harry a few times on his face, and then kissed him directly on the mouth as they embraced.  Harry didn't even pull away from Draco.

_No…this isn't happening!_

Anger, unlike he had ever known, welled up in the pit of Ron's stomach.  Before he even realized what he was doing, he tore away from the two young men and ran through the forest rather loudly.  He bashed through the branches of the small bushes that were in his way and jumped over the fallen logs. He was running wildly now as he tried to come to terms with his raging emotions. 

Finally reaching the clearing, he sprinted back to the Burrow and stormed upstairs, slamming his bedroom door behind him. Flopping down on his bed, he began to assess why he was so upset as his heart rate returned back to normal.

What they were doing was not right! It wasn't as if he was against homosexuals or anything because Fred and George were known to swing both ways.  He just had a hard time thinking that Draco and Harry could ever feel anything for one another. They had hated each other for so long it seemed impossible.  They had virtually ignored one another for that last few weeks.

Ron had suspected long ago that Draco fancied Harry because he sometimes talked in sleep.  Apparently, he and Harry did a lot of flying in his dreams.  He never expected that Harry would ever want anything to do with Draco in return. Harry was his … his friend, not Draco's!  

Well, he had originally thought it would be nice if they could be friends; they certainly had a lot in common, but he never thought it would be as boyfriend and boyfriend!  When did all this happen anyway?  Had they been hiding their relationship from Ron?  Ron realized that his anger probably stemmed from the fact that he and Harry had been best friends and apart of the Gryffindor Trio for so long, that this new relationship seemed like an invasion into their own little word.  Would Harry forget all about Ron once he started dating Draco?  

Ron knew that all of these feelings were irrational, but whoever said that a person's feelings had to make sense.  Ron was never very good at understanding his own feelings, and tended to act on impulse, as demonstrated tonight.

Deep down Ron knew that he did love Harry, but not in a romantic sort of way.  He had explored that idea long ago and discovered that he would rather play kissy-face with Hermione than Harry.  He was just so protective of him because of what he had been through.  He could not stand to see him hurt anymore. He was a like a little brother now, and Ron was determined to make sure that no one hurt his "family."

That was the one thing Ron was sure that Draco would do to Harry… hurt him.  Some way or another it was bound to happen, and Ron was sure that he was going to be there when it did; to give Draco a good bashing and to support Harry when he needed it. Just thinking about all the nasty things that Draco had said and did over the years made his skin crawl.  Sure, he had apologized, but was it enough? Could he truly be trusted?

His mother must have noticed Ron's stormy return because she knocked quietly on his door to check up on him.

"Ron?" she asked hesitantly when he didn't respond.

 "Are you all right dear?'  His mum entered his room quietly and walked over to her youngest son, who was lying down with his back to her.  She sat down beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Mum, I'm fine," Ron said sounding irritated.

"Well, it doesn't appear that way," she responded.

"I am just worried about Harry, okay!"

"Oh, he is fine now dear, no need to worry.  He came in shortly after you did.  He is having a cup of tea, and is speaking to your father right now.  They are going to keep the case open just in case he changes his mind about pressing charges."

"Oh, that's good. Where is Draco?" asked Ron, pretending to be relieved.

"I believe that he is in the twin's old room getting ready to sleep.  Will you be alright? I need to get back down stairs," his mum said.

"Yeah, I will."

"Okay. You know you can always come to me when you need to honey," and with that she gave him kiss on his temple and retreated from his room.

After Ron was sure that his mother was downstairs, he crept down the hall to find Draco.  He wanted to give him a piece of his mind. All the memories from the years past came flooding back, and he was positive that Draco was somehow luring Harry into a trap to hurt him.

Without knocking, Ron barged into the room and quickly closed the door behind him.  Draco whirled around with his pajama top still in his hand. Although he had his pants on, his chest was bare.  He was evidently in the middle of dressing.

"Hey, what's going on…"

Ron crossed the small room in two strides and pushed the smaller boy onto one of the beds.  "What are you playing at?"

"Excuse me?  What the hell are you talking about?" asked Draco utterly confused.

"You know what I mean," said Ron accusingly. "I saw you…"

"What do you mean you saw me?  You are being really vague."

"I saw you with Harry in the forest, okay. Now, what the hell are you doing to him?"

Draco blushed bright red when he understood what Ron was talking about. He put on his pajama shirt and began, "That was you spying on us in the forest?  We thought all that noise was from wild animal.  You scared us nearly half to death with all that commotion.  We were too afraid to stick around any longer."

"Yeah, well I didn't exactly like what I saw," said Ron.

"And what did you see?" Draco asked uncertainly.

"You were kissing Harry."

"Oh," said Draco obviously embarrassed.

"I don't know what you think you are doing, but if you hurt Harry I am going to personally kill you!"

"What makes you think that I would ever hurt him?" Draco asked sounding accused.

"Gee… let's see! Maybe all the awful things that you have done to him in the past? Ring a bell by chance?" Ron asked sarcastically.

"I told you that I am not going to act like that anymore.  I have already apologized.  Why won't you believe me?" said the blond getting irritated.

"Because it is a little too much that you are on the good side now! I still question your loyalty to the light."

"How dare you! Ron, if you only knew what I told Dumbledore about the Dark Lord you wouldn't be questioning me right now.  My life will forever be in jeopardy as long as they are in power.  That is why they put the wards around the Burrow.  The death eaters know how much I know."

"So, tell me then."

"You know I can't," Draco said firmly.

"Than how am I supposed to trust that your intentions toward Harry are honorable?"

Draco smirked at the fact that Ron had just used the word "honorable."

"Do you find this funny?" Ron asked angrily.

"No, no. I just…well… you are making a big deal about nothing."

"I don't find matters that concern Harry nothing," Ron insisted.

"If you must know, I think I may love Harry.  There I said it you stupid git! Are you happy now?" Draco said.

"Does Harry feel the same way about you?"

"I don't know. I hope so. Regardless what happens between us, I have made myself a solemn oath that I will never let Harry come to harm again; whether we are friends or otherwise. Is that good enough for you?"

"I made the same promise.  That is why I am here."

"Well, it looks like Harry has at least two friends looking out for him," said Draco smiling at Ron.

"Trust me, there are many, many more. I just hope that it is enough," said Ron quietly.  He sat down on the bed opposite of Draco.

"Sorry I pushed you, but I meant what I said. You better not ever hurt Harry."

"It's alright. I understand."

"Is he okay? I thought I saw him crying," said Ron.

"Yeah, I think he will be alright. He just needs some time. It is all so overwhelming."

"You sound like Hermione," said Ron wistfully.

"You miss her, eh?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to see her. It feels like it has been forever since we have seen each other."

"Are you two like boyfriend and girlfriend now?" asked Draco.

"No, but I would like to be.  Are you and Harry like boyfriend and boyfriend now?" Ron asked Draco snottily.  Turn about was fair play.

"No, but I would like to be," said Draco smiling.

A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little short, but it will have to do. The next chapter has Snape in it for all of you that are madly in love with the dark man.


	13. Letters

Chapter 13- Letters

Draco found himself writing to his godfather two days after he had confronted Harry out in the forest.  They had not had many opportunities to be alone in that crazy house since then, but they both caught each other stealing glances every chance they got.  He had to tell someone what he was feeling right now or he thought he might burst. How could he feel happy and scared senseless all at the same time? Snape was really the only person Draco could talk to without being judged.  He had a lot of other things on his mind as well, and he took the opportunity to write his godfather and reveal what he was feeling.

_Dear Severus,_

_Thank you for coming to check up on me here at the Burrow. You have no idea what it means to me that someone actually gives a damn about my well being.  I don't think I would have made it those first couple of weeks without you. Oddly enough, I am enjoying my stay here with the Weasleys. They are really not a bad bunch once you get to know them and get past their blasted red hair.  They are just a bid loud for my taste._

_I am learning what it means to be Draco Malfoy away from my father. I still have difficulty saying what I genuinely mean to people in person, so I felt that this letter may offer me the tool I need to overcome some of my hang ups; one of those being expressing gratitude. I cannot begin to thank you enough for saving my life. Yes, you saved my life!  If it were not for the portkey that you gave me last year, I would be no doubt with my father or possibly even dead.  I dread to think about either of those possibilities. How did you know that I would need it? Did you know that I would turn away from my father and the Dark Lord? For the first time in my life I feel that I am free to make my own choices, and I have you to thank for that.  I only hope that once day I can repay your kindness._

_I had long suspected that you were a spy for Dumbledore, and I am relieved that I have someone to come to about my problems.  I don't think I would have trusted anyone else with the information about what my father did to me. You made me feel safe at my darkest hour.  Don't worry, I understand why you are unable to take me in right now. You are busy with the order and you can't compromise your position within the Dark Lord's followers. You are a good man no matter what anyone else says._

_I do need to ask you for help once more though. Mrs. Weasley mentioned that we would be going to Diagon Alley at the end of this week in order to get our supplies for Hogwarts. I don't know what to do. I no longer have access to my father's fortune, and I am virtually penniless. I have a few coins in my trunk, but I would like to save them in case of an emergency.  I have enough robes and things, but I have no way to purchase this year's textbooks.  What should I do? The Weasleys can't even afford to buy for their own children so I can't possibly ask them for a loan. I am very worried about this manner so owl me as soon as you can to let me know what you think I should do._

_One more thing I need to ask of you.  Were you aware what happened to Harry Potter this summer?  He is staying at the Burrow as well, and believe it or not we have gotten kind of close. I had misjudged Harry completely from the beginning.  I always thought that he had the perfect home life and was treated like a golden child. I envied him and his fame for so long. Nothing could have been further from the truth. I have no idea how he managed to survive all those years in that hell hole. I am beginning to have feelings for him that I can no longer deny.  I would like to pursue a relationship with him (you know, more than just being friends), and I am really scared.  What will happen when we return to Hogwarts? If Harry agrees to be with me, do we keep our relationship a secret?_

_As you know, many of the slytherins have parents who are death eaters. They report everything that happens back to them so they can keep the Dark Lord informed, just as I used to.  Am I putting Harry in danger just by being with him? I am so confused about everything right now. My world has completely turned upside down, and I can't make heads or tails of anything.  _

_I know this much to be true, however; I care about Harry Potter a great deal and I will do everything in my power to keep him safe.  I know that I have probably wasted a good deal of your time, but I don't have anyone else I can talk to about this.  Please respond back at your earliest convenience. I am desperate for your advice._

_                                          Sincerely yours,_

_                                          Draco Malfoy, your godson_

Draco examined his neat scrawl.  When he was satisfied with the contents of the letter, he carefully folded the parchment and went in search of Ron.  He found the tall boy in his room writing a letter to Hermione.

"Hey Ron, do you think I can borrow Pig to send my godfather a letter?" he asked.

"Don't you mean Snape?"

"Yeah, it's kind of important and Errol is already out on a letter from your mother. Can I please use Pig?"

"I guess so. I was going to send this out to Hermione soon, but it can wait.  Go right ahead."

Draco walked over to the hyperactive grey owl, which was bouncing up and down on his perch, and attached the parchment to his leg. It was no easy task.  

 "Take this to Professor Snape at Hogwarts please."  The tiny owl buzzed around Draco's head a few times before flying out the window, narrowly missing the window sill.

"Did you just tell me owl please?"  Ron said laughing at him.  "Where is the nasty git that I knew and hated so well?"

"Shut it, Ron."  Draco walked out of the room shaking his head trying not to smile.

****************

Nearly a day had passed, when Draco received the response from his godfather.  Wishing to be alone, he placed the parchment in his pocket and went for a walk.  It wasn't until he was seated on his favorite rock beside the creek that he pulled the letter out to read it.

_Dear Draco,_

_            I am glad to hear that you feel that you are learning what it is like to make your own choices away from the threat of your father and the Dark Lord. I am very proud of you.  It takes a strong person to get past their upbringing and discover the truth for themselves.  I hate to say this because I loathed the man while he was living, but you remind me somewhat of Sirius Black, Harry's deceased godfather.  He too had to overcome what his parents were brainwashing him to believe and choose his own path in life. I wish I was able to do the same as quickly as he did.  Maybe then I wouldn't have to forever carry the mark on my arm for my past mistakes. That is part of the reason why I hated him so much.  You didn't know him, but I have been told that he was basically a good man.  Although, I personally believe he was put on this Earth to make my life a living hell._

_ I am just sorry that I am unable to take you in right now.  There is nothing I would like more than for you to come and live with me, but as you know the timing isn't right.  I decided that I would take you in long ago if you chose to walk away from the dark side, but I couldn't very well tell you that for fear that you would report back to your father. I didn't know if you knew where your loyalties lied.  That is why I gave you the portkey last year. I hoped that you would take advantage of the opportunity to save yourself._

_Draco, you are the one who saved you. Not me. You made a very difficult decision and then took action. You should be proud of yourself. I am sure there are many more children of death eaters who would like to make the same decision, but lack the courage. I only hope that this war will be over before they are corrupted completely._

_Do not worry about buying your supplies in Diagon Alley. I have already set up a small account for you at Gringott's that you may use to buy what you need. The goblins will assist you in retrieving the money from the new vault. It isn't nearly as much as you normally would have had with your father, but it should be enough to last you through your seventh year if you use the money wisely.  Please don't feel like you need to repay me, though I suspect you probably do.  It is the least I can do for my only godson._

_As to your relationship with Harry, I am not entirely happy about it, but I can't say that I was surprised.  I long suspected that given a chance, you two would become involved.  I know you were hurt when he rejected your friendship in your first year.  Sometimes, cruelty is a substitution for what you can't have. All these years you have spent bickering at one another was just a way for you to interact.  Harry's parents, Lily and James, had a similar relationship.  They fought for years until they finally figured out that they were drawn to one another for reasons other than fighting.  Love and hate are powerfully passionate feelings.  They are basically opposites of the same emotion.  Ultimately, one emotion is easily replaced by the other under a given situation._

_I feel that it is likely that you two have bonded because of your common experiences. And no, I had no idea that Harry was treated so poorly at home. Dumbledore informed me shortly after he arrived back from the Burrow. I had a feeling that something was wrong because of the memories that I saw during our occlumency lessons. Apparently he was blocking me from his mind all along; otherwise I would have known what else was going on. I just thought he wasn't trying hard enough. No wonder he was so exhausted after our lessons.  I have never cared for the boy, but I hate to think that he has come to harm at the hands of those dreadful relatives of his._

_Speaking of which, Remus Lupin went over to the Dursleys and gave them the scare of their life. He was quite angry when he learned that __Vernon__ Dursley would not be sent to prison for what he did to Harry. That mild mannered man can be quite menacing when he wants to be.  I won't go into the details, but I will say that __Vernon__ did pay dearly.  Remus performed a spell that allows someone to feel the pain they have caused another. It can be quite gruesome, and it frowned upon at the ministry. Unfortunately, the victim returns back to normal once the spell is lifted.  Although, I suspect that his uncle may be a little loopy in the head now because of the extended length of time he was under the spell. Remus has been put on temporary probation for what he did. I think I am actually starting to like the man now. Dumbledore said that you may tell Harry when you feel the time is right._

_I will support any decision you make in regards to your relationship with Harry.  If you choose not to pursue a relationship you may regret it for the rest of your life. I speak from past experience, though I will not go into details.  If you decide to be together, your life will be much more difficult here on out.  Hiding your relationship will only make it difficult to see one another.  Bringing it out into the open will risk the ridicule of your peers.  Not everyone is as open to same sex partners.  Follow your heart no matter what your head tells._

_I will do what I can to control how the slytherins treat you, but I can't stop them from reporting back to their parents.  The Dark Lord will probably discover your little secret.  However, now that you are a way from your father, you have the protection of Hogwarts surrounding you.  I don't believe that your relationship with Harry will bring him to anymore danger than he was before.  Who knows? Together, you may be a powerful force in stopping the Dark Lord. Time will reveal all.  I wish you well, my godson. I will see you soon._

_                                    Sincerely,_

_                                    Severus Snape, Potions Master_

Draco smiled as he folded the parchment and placed it back in his pocket. At least one person out there was on his side.  He felt much better knowing that Severus would support him. And he was relieved that he would be actually able to purchase his supplies when they go to Diagon Alley.

He walked back to the Burrow in search of Harry. He felt like talking to him about what Severus had said.  He only hoped that he would be as open to a relationship as Draco was.  He found the dark haired boy playing an exciting game of chess with Ron in the living room.  The chess pieces were not cooperating with Harry's commands and were beginning to bicker among themselves about what moves he should make next.  Ron's pieces were like an organized military.  Each one stood proud, confident in their leader's abilities.  Apparently Ron was quite the strategist.  Draco watched them play for a while, quite amused. He was not one for chess himself, but it was interesting to watch.

He didn't think the time was right to pull Harry away to talk about everything, so he went upstairs to his room instead.  Sighing, he pulled out his transfiguration homework, and began to add his final thoughts to the given assignment.  At least he could relax for the remainder of the summer now that all his homework was done.

That night, Draco dreamed about Harry again.  They were flying across a field chasing one another on broomsticks as usual.  This time, Draco was finally able to catch up to him.  As they landed, he gently tackled Harry to the soft ground, giggling as they embraced.  They tickled one another endlessly, rolling around in the tall grass.  After a short while, the laughter died and Draco stared into Harry's emerald eyes.  He began to stroke his messy locks and leaned forward into another kiss.  Although he was dreaming, he knew that he had to have Harry in his life. It felt so right, like it was destiny or something. He wondered if Harry would ever feel the same way about him.

A/N:  I am assuming that the owl carrying Draco's letter would not be intercepted, and therefore Snape's cover wouldn't be revealed.

A/N 2: I know that the spell that Remus used was cliché, but I rather like it myself. I have no idea which author originally came up with that idea, but it was rather clever.  


	14. Diagon Alley

Chapter 14- Diagon Alley

"Hurry up, you two or we are going to be late," said Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Ron had just come down stairs.  Draco and Ginny were waiting for them in the kitchen. "Does everyone have their supply lists? Ok dears, grab some floo powder and get ready.  Remember to say 'Diagon Alley' clearly when you step into the fireplace," said his mum.  Ron looked over at Harry, who swallowed rather loudly.  He looked beyond nervous. He had a nasty spill in Knockturn Alley once when he mispronounced his destination in the fireplace.

Once they all had arrived by floo, they group decided to go to Gringott's Wizarding Bank to retrieve their money from their vaults.  They would have to make it a quick trip because they promised Hermione and Neville that they would meet them outside of the ice cream shop at one o'clock, and it was already 12:30.  They quickly picked up the pace.

Ron saw that Harry was smiling as they walked the long corridor to Gringott's. He looked happier than he did in a long time.  Ron looked at him curiously.  "What are you smiling about?"

"It just feels so good to be back in the wizarding world, you know?" Harry replied. Ron smiled back understanding what he meant. 

As they walked along, Ron noticed that Harry and Draco's hands would periodically brush past one another, and Draco kept stealing shy glances at Harry.  _Oh brother, it has already started to happen…_

When they reached the bank, two goblins herded the group down a long dimly lit corridor that led to the carts that would take them to their vaults.  "We will need to take two carts. There are too many of you to fit in one," said the fatter goblin.

"Oh, alright. Ginny why don't you come with me?" said her mother.

"But mum…" Ginny whined.

"No buts," she said.  The mother and daughter stepped into the cart and one of the goblins followed.  They were soon on their way.

"Let's go!" said Ron, and three boys hopped into their own cart. They soon found themselves speeding through the dark passageways under Gringott's bank.  They were flying in the small cart at break neck speeds.  The boys looked over at one another excitedly. They were all enjoying this death defying trip immensely. Suddenly the cart came to an abrupt halt.

Harry was led to his vault first.  Ron watched as Draco's mouth dropped open with utter amazement when he saw the mound of gold and silver that lay inside. He probably had no idea that Harry was rich!  It was kind of ironic that he was raised like a house elf, but had enough money of his own to live in a modest size manor. He watched as Harry placed an enormous amount of money is his bag, and returned to the cart.

"Wow, that's a lot of money to spend in one afternoon!" Draco said jokingly.

Harry looked away and quietly said, "I have to replace everything I have ever owned." Ron slugged Draco in the arm and called him an idiot. He knew that his uncle had burned all of his things. Just when they were beginning to enjoy their afternoon, Draco had to go and ruin it.

"How stupid of me! I am so sorry, I had forgotten," said Draco pleading.  He probably felt like an ass right now. 

"It's all right," said Harry.

By the time they had reached the next vault, Draco looked like he was feeling pretty sorry for himself.  Ron knew that he would never again have the luxury of spending his money as frivolously as he once did.  One part of him felt awful for Draco for losing his inheritance, the other part was glad that the boy was finally able to see what it is like to be poor. 

Draco had told Ron and Harry how his godfather, Severus Snape, had generously given him money to get through school. When Draco got out to enter his vault, he noticed that Harry had politely looked away. Ron decided to do the same.  Draco quickly filled his money bag and sat down beside Harry.

"All set?" said the dark haired boy.

"Yup. Let's go!" And with that, they were again speeding back to the upper levels of the bank.  They then met up with Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, who had retrieved their own money from the family vault.

They blinked at the glaring sun when they stepped back out into Diagon Alley.  There eyes had become adjusted to the darkness of those awful passageways.  Ron looked down at his watch and said, "Bloody hell! We are 10 minutes late! Let's go!"

"Calm down lover boy. I am sure Hermione will still be there," said Draco teasingly.  Harry glanced at them both like he was missing something. He hadn't yet picked up on the fact that Ron fancied Hermione.

Sure enough Hermione was waiting for them.  She was sitting outside the ice cream parlor with Neville, finishing an ice cream cone.  She waved them over enthusiastically.  Ron watched as she ran over to Harry, and squeezed him with all her might.  He felt instantly jealous, but calmed himself when he realized that she hadn't seen him since she learned what had happened at the Dursleys. It was a happy reunion of sorts.

"Hi, Harry. I am so glad that you are alright. I have been so worried!" she said.  She looked really good. She had an awesome tan and had grown quite a bit.  She and Harry were almost the same size again, Harry being only slightly taller.

"I'm alright now, Hermione. Ahh… could you let me go now?" Harry asked

"Oh, sorry!" said Hermione releasing him.  "Hi, everyone!" She gave Ron, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley a quick hug hello, and then turned her head toward Draco.

"Hello, Grang…er…Hermione. How are you?" he asked.

"I am fine, Draco," she said trying out his name.  There was an awkward silence as everyone tried to figure out what to say next. 

Finally, Draco began, "Listen Hermione, there is something I need to say. I am sorry…"

Hermione cut him off, "Don't!"

"What? I was…"

"Don't bother apologizing right now, okay. I believe in actions, not words.  If you can show me that you are not the same arrogant prick I knew from school, I will forgive you."

"Okay," said Draco smiling. "But I am sorry for being an arrogant prick."

"Yeah, sure. Ready to go?" she asked. They all nodded.

The shopping trip to Diagon Alley took longer than any other trip before; mostly because Harry had so many things to buy, but also because their group was quite large.  Harry was fortunate to have so many things replaced from the gifts that he received from his belated birthday party, but there was a lot that he still needed. They went from store to store waiting in the long lines and helping each other to find what they needed as quickly as possible.  After the first couple of stores, it was clear that Harry had way too much to carry, so Mrs. Weasley rented a trolley for him.

It wasn't until they had reached the third store that Ron noticed how close Ginny was standing to Neville.  After questioning Ginny endlessly he got down to the bottom of everything.  Apparently his little sister was quite the player. She had broken up with Dean Thomas earlier in the summer, and had begun owling Neville. He had no idea that anything was going on between them.  His attention had been entirely directed towards Harry and he was oblivious to everything else. Two years ago, Ron would have been horrified that Ginny was interested in Neville. He used to be a bumbling idiot to say the least. But he had matured considerably last year, and proved to be a loyal friend, especially after what happened at the Department of Mysteries last year.

Ginny and Neville were definitely a couple now.  They walked from store to store holding hands. It irritated Ron that his sister was getting more action than him.  He was definitely going to have to fix this situation.  He turned his head toward Hermione and watched her as she helped Harry select a new kit of potion's supplies to replace his old one.

After Harry paid for his items, they entered Flourish and Blott's to purchase their 6th year textbooks.  An overenthusiastic salesperson greeted them at the door. "Hi, I am Theodora Catmint. Can I help you find anything today?"

"No, I think we will be alright on our own. Thanks," said Hermione.  They all split up once they were inside.

Ron noticed that Draco was following him the to second hand selection of textbooks.  "I see you are buying everything second hand now, too.  Well isn't this ironic."

"Ron, don't give me a hard time. I know I was wrong before. Don't make this any worse on me as it is.  My pride is on the mend here," said Draco.

"Oh, all right," said Ron disappointed that he couldn't tease the boy any further.

They made their purchases, and moved onto the next store.  Hermione and Ron already had everything that they needed so they decided to rest outside on a bench to wait for the others to return.

Ron was glad to finally have some time alone with Hermione while the others shopped with Harry. They had grown quite close last year while they were staying at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"How was France?" asked Ron.

"It was lovely, but all I wanted to do was come to the Burrow and be with you and Harry. I hope you understand why couldn't," said Hermione.

"Of course I do.  Your parents have every reason to want to spend some quality time with their daughter. We got ourselves in quite a scrape last year, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did. How is Harry by the way? How is he handling Sirius's death?" she asked sadly.

"It's hard to say. He was in pretty bad shape when he first came to the Burrow. He has good and bad days now. Today is definitely a good day.  He is still having nightmares about Sirius and everything. He keeps me up most of the night. Other than that, he doesn't say much. You know he is," said Ron.

"Yeah, I know.  I still can't believe that Harry isn't going to press charges against his uncle. I guess I understand though. The newspapers would have a field day with that story."

"I told you what Remus did to them, didn't I?"

"Yes, I didn't know he had it in him. At least the Ministry of Magic only put him on probation. It's pretty risky to hex any muggle like that. Does Harry know?" she asked.

"No, Draco is supposed to tell him sometime soon," responded Ron.

"Draco? Why?" she asked indignantly.

"Well…because…" Ron wasn't sure what to say.  He hadn't told her yet about catching them kissing out in the woods.

"What are you not telling me?" she demanded.

"They are kind of together," Ron said quietly.

"Together together? As in a couple?!?"

"Shhh….keep it down. Well, I don't think anything is official yet, but I caught them kissing once," said Ron glancing around.

"Oh, my god! I would never would have expected it.  Harry and Draco?"  She thought about it for a minute, letting the information seek in. "It does kind of makes sense though, you know?  All those years of bickering….Harry's troubled relationship with Cho…"

Seizing the opportunity, Ron asked the question that he had been thinking about since he saw her.  "Speaking of couples, are you still writing to Vicky?"

"You mean Victor?  Well, no I am not anymore." Hermione said looking away.

"Really? I thought you were all gaga over him."

"That's before I got to know him.  He met us up in France, and we had an opportunity to hang out. I had only communicated with him before in my letters. He drove me crazy!! And he came on way too strong. I decided to end it before the situation got carried away."

"He didn't hurt you did he? Because I would kill him!" Ron said angrily.

"No, no. Calm down. It's nothing like that," she said.  She looked up at him and smiled, "Would you really kill him if he had hurt me?"

"Absolutely. You know how much I care about you," said Ron.

"You do?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly.

"Well, I care about you too," Hermione said smiling again.  Ron was overcome with happiness. Finally, something was going right!

"Really?' She nodded. Ron stood up and scooped her up into a big hug, her legs dangling towards the ground.  She began to giggle, and insisted that he put her down again. Just when he was about to steal a kiss, the rest of their group met up with them. Harry was looking at them curiously, with a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry. We are not interrupting anything are we?" he asked innocently.

"No, nothing at all," Ron said, irritated with their timing.  He felt Hermione give his hand a small squeeze. He looked down at her and smiled. He knew that there would be plenty of time for them to talk about things once they were back at Hogwarts.

Harry was clearly in an awesome mood despite the fact that he just spent several agonizing hours shopping. Ron decided to take advantage of it.  "Hey Harry, do you know what time it is?"

"No, what?" he asked stupidly.

"Time to shop for a broom!"  He dragged his friend into the store and began to walk around with interest.  The rest of the gang stayed outside with Harry's trolley.

"I don't know Ron. I really shouldn't. I have already had to spend so much. Besides, I probably won't be able to join the team again anyway," Harry protested. 

"Are you kidding? I am sure they will allow you back on the team now that awful Umbridge is gone. It's not like you can't afford it, Harry. You deserve this after what happened this summer. Are you going to borrow brooms for the rest of your life?" asked Ron.

"Well, no, I guess not. Alright, you talked me into it," Harry said smiling.

"Good, now check this one out. Top of the line!"

After only another 15 minutes, Harry walked out of the store with a fabulous new broom. It was the fastest broom to be produced yet. He was grinning from ear to ear as he rushed over to show Draco, who was waiting with Ginny and Hermione just outside.  Harry stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that they were not alone.  Ron watched the scene before him not knowing what to do.

Pansy Parkinson had just walked up to the small group and confronted Draco.

"What the hell is this Drake?  Are you a Gryffin_dork now or something?" she asked coldly. She looked at each one of them with a piercing gaze._

"No, just leave me the hell alone Pansy. And don't call me Drake!"

"Touchy, touchy. Have you gone soft or something?  I heard that poor little Draco ran away from home," she said in an icky sweet voice.

"Get lost! Nobody cares about you have to say," said Ron trying his best not to lose his cool.

"You've got the Weasel defending you now Draco? The next thing you are going to tell me is that you are in love with the mudblood."

"I said leave me alone, Pansy," said Draco once again.  Ron looked like he was going to attack her for calling Hermione a mudblood, but Draco gabbed his arm to hold him back.

"Fine, but I am warning you.  There are quite a few slytherins that are not going to be as kind to you for being a traitor.  Do watch you back now won't you dear?" and with that she walked away.

Draco was clearly fuming.  He turned to Harry, but didn't say anything. Harry reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.  They looked at one another for support.

Ron saw his mother coming out of the Apothecary not a moment to late. "Is there anything anyone else needs?'  Everyone shook their head no. "Than I think that it is time for us to go."

He hated leaving Hermione, but Pansy had certainly dampened everyone's mood.  Draco and Harry clearly needed to get out of there.

"Sorry, Hermione, but I think we should leave," said Ron gently.

"Its alright, I will see you again in about a week anyway," she replied.

"I will write you again soon."

"Okay," she said smiling sweetly.  Ron bent down and gave her a kiss on her forehead. It would have to do for now.

They said their goodbyes and made their way back to the fireplace to floo their way home. It had been quite a long day.

A/N:  The next chapter is awesome!  There is enough fluff and angst to satisfy everyone's taste. Plus, another entire chapter with Harry and Draco together! And guess what, it will be written entirely from Harry's POV as a special treat!!!!

Catmint- Did you like?  I said you would be starring in a very _minor role. lol_


	15. Back at the Burrow

**Warning:**  This chapter may contain descriptions about _rape, abuse, and cutting. If you do not like to read about these topics, then don't read. Wow, that was simple._

**Special Note:**  This chapter was written in Harry's point of view as a special treat.  The alternating POVs of Ron and Draco will resume in the next chapter, beginning with Ron.

Chapter 15- Back at the Burrow

Although Harry had enjoyed his time at Diagon Alley, he was glad to be back at the Burrow. Besides Hogwarts, it the only place he had ever felt safe.  It was like a security blanket that would always be there for him. It was one of the few things he could trust in anymore.

Harry was currently sitting upstairs in Ron's hideously orange room trying to finish is homework.  He was unable to complete anything while he was at the Dursleys, and he was beginning to feel the crunch of getting everything done before they had to return to school.  He wished he could go outside and play Quidditch with the others, but he had to get his homework done first.  He had procrastinated long enough.

The Quidditch posters in Ron's room were quite distracting. Unable to focus on what he was doing, he gazed lazily at the professional flyers that were zooming around the pitch. He didn't feel like studying any longer, so he decided to take a break. He pulled out Sirius's leather bound journal that Remus had given him. He had been so touched that Remus would have given him such a wonderful gift. Opening up the front cover, he lightly fingered Sirius's name and sighed. He blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall down his eyelashes, and he flipped through the pages to find the spot where he had stopped reading. 

_January 19…..Well, today was quite exciting. Peter has finally learned how to become an animagus after all those months of preparation. How he chose to become a rat is beyond me. James and I figured out how to transform about three weeks, so we can all keep Remus company when he has to go through his monthly transformations.  This animagus stuff is pretty tricky business. I don't think we fully realized what we were getting ourselves into when we devised this plan. Our official Marauder names are Moony (Remus), Padfoot (me), Prongs (James), and Wormtail (Peter).  I came up with Wormtail myself. Peter hates it.  We have begun to discuss how we can use are animagus forms to our advantage. I think it would be a hoot to pull a prank on old Snivellus (a.k.a. Severus Snape).  James is sure to go for it. He is always trying to find ways to impress Evans, but he doesn't seem to get the fact that she isn't remotely interested in him. I don't care why he pulls these pranks with me as long as we are having a good time…_

Harry thought about all the crazy adventures the Marauders must have experienced while they were at Hogwarts.  He decided not to dwell on the fact that they had bullied his potions professor as students. It was hard enough to process everything he was reading without thinking about what he had seen in Snape's pensieve or their deaths. If they had only known about Peter… he shook his head to rid his thoughts of Wormtail. He took a moment to stretch his arms and back, and rolled his head around his shoulders to get out the kinks.  Lost in thought, he had not heard anyone open the door and enter the room.

"Hey, can I help you with that," said a soft voice.  He was startled to feel a pair of hands lightly squeeze his shoulders.

"NO……"  Harry reacted blindly. He ducked away from the unseen hands and dropped to the floor, whirling around to defend himself.

"Harry…it's all right. I was just going to give you a massage. You looked like you needed it," said Draco. He slowly kneeled down beside Harry.  "Didn't you hear me come in?'

"No…sorry I acted like that," Harry said taking slow and steady breaths. He sat down on the floor between the two beds, and put his head in his hands.  He had found that staying at the noisy Burrow was really difficult when you are used to being shoved into solitary confinement. He hated being touched and everything startled him no matter how safe and secure he had begun to feel around the others.  Harry had tried so hard to keep everyone from knowing how he was feeling, and now he had acted like a complete moron in front of Draco.  He could feel his panic attack slowly ebb away. It had almost gotten bad that time.

"Don't apologize. Are you alright?" Draco asked sounding concerned.

"Yeah," he said still looking down. He was still shaking slightly and he hoped that Draco hadn't noticed what was wrong.  He looked up at the blond haired boy but knew that he wasn't going to give up.

"Harry, it's okay that you are still feeling a little weird about everything. You had a pretty rough time of it this summer and it is only natural that you are still adjusting.  You don't have to hide your feelings. I am sorry if I scared you. Did you think I was your uncle when I touched you?"

"Yes…I know it's stupid to think like that because Uncle Vernon is not here and he can't hurt me, but I can't help it." Harry shrugged sheepishly.

"I know what you mean," said Draco.

"You do?" _How could he possibly understand what I am feeling?_

"Yeah, I used to get really jumpy when I was younger, especially after my father punished me for something. Every noise startled me, and I kept thinking that he was going to come after me again."

"Was it always that bad when you were growing up?" Harry asked.

"No, I had what you might call a normal childhood. He would only beat me when he was particularly angry, but it was always bad when he did. Other than that life wasn't too bad. My mother and the servants pampered me.  Believe it or not, I did love my father. I even idolized him at one point in my life. It was all I could do to please him.  Then I finally started to see the truth of it all, and I hated what I was becoming."

"When did you start to realize that you were different from your father?" asked Harry. He was curious as to how he had gone from a nasty slytherin that he used to know to this decent person in front of him. It was all still a little unbelievable.

"Oh, I don't know exactly…  probably after the tri-wizard tournament in our fourth year…  when the Dark Lord was resurrected," Draco said carefully. 

Harry looked away as the memories of that event came flooding back once again. _Kill the spare…blood forcibly taken….How many times was he going to have to relive that day?_

"Harry, are you okay?" asked Draco.

"Yeah, go on…" he replied thoughtfully.

"Well, my father started to have me attend a few of the death eater meetings. I hated going to them.  They were really awful. One time I saw a group of muggles tortured because they accidentally crossed our path. It was really sick!"

"I remember…" said Harry.

"What do you mean? How could you?" Draco asked astonished.

"I am connected to Voldemort through my stupid scar. I sometimes see what he is doing. It usually occurs while I am dreaming and it is rather painful when it happens.  I happened to have had a vision of that particular meeting. Now he is trying to control me through my dreams.  That's why I have to take occlumency lessons with Snape," said Harry.

"I knew you two were somehow connected, but I didn't realize that it was this awful. I am so sorry Harry," Draco said reaching out to him.

"It's alright. Its just one more thing I have to overcome in my life."

"Well, I will do everything in my power to protect you from the Dark Lord.  I am devoted to the good side now. You know that right?"

"Yeah. I am just glad that you finally realized what a jerk you were," said Harry smiling.  He tried to lighten up the mood up a bit. This was getting really depressing.

"Yeah, yeah… It's weird that I didn't learn what a real family was like until I came here to the Burrow.  I mean, I used to literally hate this family and now I find myself hoping that I can have a family like theirs someday.  Isn't that twisted?'

Harry laughed at him.  It must have been really hard for him to adjust to this noisy bunch of redheads. They always mean well, but they can be a little overwhelming at times.

"What about your home life Harry? Did you ever have a happy moment?" Draco asked trying to be serious again. 

"…"  _Why is he asking me this? I don't want anyone to know what used to happen to me._

"Harry?"

"No," he said softly. _I don't have a single happy memory from that house._

"I am really sorry to hear that, but at least you were able to get yourself away from that hell hole. Severus finally made me see that it took a lot of courage for me to walk away from my family. You had to the same and you should be proud of yourself. You are very brave Harry. Never forget that,"

Harry shrugged. He didn't feel very brave when he left the Dursleys. He was terrified of what would happen if he didn't leave. It was only by mere chance that his uncle forgot to lock the cupboard in his drunken stupor.

"I think I know something to make you feel better," said Draco.

"What?"

"Your pal Remus Lupin went over the Dursleys when he found out that you weren't going to press charges."

"Really? Oh gods, what did he do?" Harry felt himself begin to panic slightly.

"He made your Uncle Vernon pay dearly for what he did to you.  He used a spell that forces the victim to feel everything he has ever inflicted upon another person.  It supposed to be pretty awful. I don't think he will forget that experience any time soon.  It's just a shame that Remus didn't kill the bastard!"

"But wizards are not allowed to hex muggles! Remus can get in a lot of trouble," said Harry, worried about his friend.

"Well, he did get in trouble.  The ministry put him under probation.  It's basically just a slap on the wrist though. It isn't too serious really. Nothing to worry about."

"Oh, okay."  There were a few moments of silence as Harry let that new piece of information process in his brain.  Instead of feeling relieved that his uncle was hexed, he only felt scared. What if he was forced to go back to Privet Drive and Vernon punishes him for what Remus did?  He shuddered at thought, and was snapped back into reality when Draco asked him something.

"Harry, can I ask you a question?"

"What?" Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know what Draco was going to say next.

"Do you like me?"

"Yeah, why?"  Harry laughed feeling a bit thankful it wasn't anything that was going to probe into his past.

"Because I really like you too, and I want to be in a relationship with you. What do you think?" Draco asked quickly. He looked over at Harry expectantly.

"I think that I would like that very much," Harry said smiling. Wow, he couldn't believe that Draco really wanted to be with him. It was too good to be true.  He had been thinking about the blond haired beauty every since he came to the Burrow. He was pleased to discover that Draco like him as well. Harry felt an overwhelming attraction to him, especially after their encounter in the woods.  It was if his heart ached to be near him.

"Really?" Draco said grinning.

"Yeah," said Harry still smiling.

Draco leaned forward and gave Harry a small kiss on the cheek. "You have just made me a very happy boy."

"Draco, have you always liked boys?" he asked.

"No, not really. At least I don't think I did. I usually thought about girls, but I never really pursued anyone in particular.  I have just always felt drawn to you. What about you? Have you always liked boys?  Wait….stupid question… you dated Cho Chang."

"Well, if you can remember, that relationship ended horribly. I guess I have always been drawn to both sexes," said Harry. "I have never told anyone that before. I wonder what Hermione and Ron would say."

"I suspect they already know."

"What!" Harry exclaimed.

"Ron caught us kissing in the woods. He was the one that made all that racket running back to the house. He confronted me later on to make sure that my intentions were…how did he say it …honorable," he said laughing.

"How did he respond?" asked Harry.  He wasn't sure that Ron would be open to the fact that his best friend was gay.  Sure, the twins were known to goof around with boys, but Ron had never said anything about it one way or another.

"He was pretty open to us being in relationship. I will bet you that he has already told Hermione too.  He is hung up on her really bad."

"Oh, that's a relief. Are they going out?" he asked.

"I am not sure, maybe?"

"Draco, what is going to happen to us when we return to Hogwarts?"  Harry had been thinking about it ever since he realized that he found Draco attractive. Would they be able to have an open relationship?

"I have been thinking about that myself ever since I was confronted by Pansy in Diagon Alley.  The slytherins are going to be really cruel to me when they find out that I have betrayed the Dark Lord.  Only a few of them have death eater parents, but it's enough to make my life hell. It will only be worse when they discover that I am not only going out with a Gryffindor, but it is also the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Then let's keep us a secret for the time being. I am sure that we can find places that we can meet to be alone." Harry was thinking about how useful that room of requirement was going to be.

"Alright, it sounds like a good idea. " Draco said looking relieved.  He looked around the room and spotted Sirius's journal lying beside Harry on the floor.

"Is this the journal that Remus gave you?" Draco asked, picking up the leather journal.

"Yes," said Harry slightly irritated that Draco was touching something that was so precious to him. At least he wasn't opening it up to read it.

"It must be nice to be able to read about when Sirius was in school with your parents. You must really miss him," the blond said sincerely looking into his emerald green eyes.

_You have no idea how much I miss him! The closest thing I have ever had to a father was killed because of me. It's all my fault he died. If I had only listened to Hermione. If I had only learned how to do occlumency properly, then maybe he would still be here. I hate myself for what I have done. Everyone gets hurt because of me.  If I could only get to my knife…everything would be better….I won't hurt so much inside…_

"I do," Harry said softly. Harry began to fidget, and finally couldn't take it any longer. "Listen, sorry, but I need to get out of here for a bit." Harry knew that he was visibly shaking. All he could think about was how he had gotten everyone he had ever loved hurt in some way.  He just hoped that Draco wouldn't begin asking anymore questions and keep him from leaving. He stood up to leave the room.

"I didn't mean to upset you. What's wrong Harry?" Draco demanded, standing up beside him.

"Nothing, I just need to go…" Draco grabbed his arm forcefully preventing him from leaving the room. _Why is he doing this?_

"You are going to go cut yourself aren't you?" he demanded.  His blue-grey eyes were bright with anger.

"…" _How did he know?_

"Harry?"

"Please Draco, you don't understand…I need to…" Harry began to cry. He hated that he was crying again, and he hated for feeling so weak. Was there no end to these tears?  Will this pain ever end? How was he going to explain that he had broken his promise to Draco?

"Harry, I told you to come to me when you are feeling this way. I am not going to let you hurt yourself."

Harry found himself enveloped in the taller boys arms, with his head pressed tightly against his chest.  He noticed that Draco smelled like the rain, soft and calming. At first, he felt the need to push him away. He didn't like to be touched. But after awhile he began to relax within the warm embrace and found it comforting. The walls that he had carefully constructed to protect himself were starting to come crumbling down.  Why does Draco always affect him like this?

"I am so sorry Draco," he mumbled into his chest.

"For what, Harry?"

"For not being stronger…for not coming to you sooner…"

Draco pulled him back slightly to look at him properly. "What are you taking about? Did you…"

Harry sighed and pushed up the sleeves of his shirt revealing both his forearms.  Angry gashes were slit across both arms.  As before, the cuts were fairly shallow and were already beginning to heal. "I am so sorry, but I couldn't help it. I had to…"

"How many times have you done this since we talked?" Draco asked.  His face was full of concern.  Harry couldn't tell if he was angry with him or not.

"Just once, after I had a really bad nightmare," Harry confessed.

"Why are you telling me now?"

"Because I made you a promise that I broke… I don't want to hide anymore…. and because I am afraid of what might happen if I can't stop…" Harry started crying again.  Deep down, he had wanted to end it all so many times.  The only thing that prevented him from committing suicide was the thought that Voldemort could possibly regain power completely with him out of the way and thereby hurt his friends with his evil plans. Harry had memorized the prophecy surrounding them to the point that the words echoed in his dreams.  He also did not want his friends to suffer from grief over someone as pathetic as him. He wasn't going to allow anyone else to be hurt because of him.   Too many had died already.

"Oh, Harry...come here…" Draco said pulling the small boy back into a tight embrace.  "I told you that I would help you and I will. You just have to let me."

"I just miss Sirius so much, Draco…I wish I could talk to him…." Harry mumbled through his tears.

"Shh….I know it hurts….."

Harry felt himself be picked up and placed on Draco's lap as he sat down on the bed. It was an odd sensation having someone's arms around him like that.  Harry had no memory of ever being held in this way.  It felt amazingly comforting and somewhat arousing. Draco rocked Harry gently while placing small kisses on his forehead. "I am going to protect you always and forever, Harry. I love you."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing.  No one had ever said those words to him before and he certainly never expected that Draco Malfoy would be the one to say that he loved him. He was so afraid to trust anyone, let alone his former enemy.  But this felt so right.

Harry looked up into Draco's startling eyes and pressed his lips against the blonde's soft pink lips. He closed his eyes and let himself explore the other boy's mouth with his tongue. This was wonderful!  Harry could feel his entire body tingle with excitement. His heart swelled with this new emotion.  He was warm and happy all over.  Was this how love felt?

Soon he found himself lying beside Draco on the bed. He wasn't even sure how they came to be in that position. The two young boys had begun to explore each other's bodies over their clothing with their hands, softly rubbing and caressing every possible place they could reach. They were both getting really aroused. Draco had moved down to Harry's neck, and again whispered "I love you, Harry."

For the first time in a long time, Harry wasn't afraid at being touched. Would he finally be able to heal? Harry knew now that he loved Draco in return, but he was having difficulty saying those three little words back.  It was as if saying it aloud would somehow leave him more vulnerable than before. What if Draco changed his mind? What if he fell in love with someone else? What then?

Before Harry knew what he was doing, he pressed his body into Draco's and whispered "I love you, too."

Draco moaned appreciatively and moved back to Harry's mouth. His hands began to slowly make their way down Harry's stomach. Harry stiffened slightly, feeling himself beginning to panic with old memories.  As hard as he tried, he could not will away those awful memories. Then he heard it…_zip…Draco had unzipped Harry's pants, and was lovingly tracing the line of his underwear with his finger.  Harry knew that he shouldn't be scared because this is what he wanted to do with Draco. He had thought about this moment probably a hundred times. But it felt so right and so wrong at the same time.  __No...no…please don't hurt me._

Draco hadn't noticed that Harry was no longer responding to his advances. He was enjoying himself too much.  He slipped his hand under Harry's underwear and gently grabbed his member, "MMmmm…" he moaned into his mouth as he continued to kiss him. Horrifying memories shot through Harry's head.

_Please Uncle Vernon…I will be good…please don't…_

Harry couldn't take it any longer and began to get hysterical. His chest heaving Harry shoved Draco away, who gave him a shocked and confused look. "I am sorry, I just can't!" Harry yelled.

"Harry, what's wrong? You're trembling, did I hurt you? I am sorry if I moved to fast," Draco pleaded.

Harry scooted off the bed and fixed his clothing. Tears streamed down his face as he looked to see the hurt expression on Draco's face. "Please…just leave me alone…" He began to back away towards the door. Draco would hate him if he knew. He would never want to touch him again.

"Harry what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry…" Harry ran out of the room and hurried downstairs. He had to get out of there fast. He stopped momentarily in the kitchen before he dashed outside and past the Quidditch players. Harry hurdled himself through the trees, tears streaming down his face.

_I am such a freak…how can Draco possibly love me…he doesn't even know how dirty I am…if he knew he wouldn't want me…I need my knife…. _

A/N: Hey a cliffie! I found this chapter _really hard to write. I have been so absorbed in Ron and Draco's perspectives that it was hard to switch gears.  It was a lot of fun though despite the struggle. Harry is a very complex character, and I feel that authors sometimes stereotype him into one personality or another. (i.e. really strong or completely weak). I tried my best to make my Harry a mixture of both.  I tried to make his character strong. He did in fact save himself from the Dursleys, but I want him to still be vulnerable for the purposes of this fic. You will see why.  I hope that I was successful. I plan to do probably one other Harry POV towards the end of the story.  It is definitely going to be interesting to see how this story unfolds. Happy reading!!_


	16. Understanding the Unthinkable

**Warning:**  This chapter may contain descriptions about _rape, abuse, and cutting. If you do not like to read about these topics, then don't read. _

Chapter 16- Understanding the Unthinkable

Ron and Ginny were on their brooms practicing some maneuvers they had read about in a Quidditch magazine. There was only another hour of light remaining, and they were getting tired. Out of the corner of his eye Ron noticed a small shape moving hurriedly across the lawn. He realized that it is Harry and that he had just come running out of the house crying. His face was contorted into a look of pure anguish. Ron felt is heart drop down into his stomach with worry. Something was definitely wrong. He yelled over to Ginny that he would be back in a minute and flew around the house to investigate. He was thankful that Ginny was now out of site.  He didn't want to get his nosey sister involved with whatever was going on.

Before he could say anything to his friend, Harry ran into the woods. He lowered his broomstick toward the ground and saw Draco come dashing out of the Burrow. Ron felt his face flush with anger at the sight of the blond boy. Suddenly he understood; Draco had hurt Harry in some way. He was the one that made Harry look so sad and lonely as he ran across the yard. The one thing that Ron had dreaded happening to Harry this summer had just occurred. He was not going to let Draco get off easy, that's for sure.

Draco had not yet noticed Ron and was desperately trying to catch up to Harry.

Ron quickly dismounted his broom just behind Draco, and shoved him down to the ground with all of his might, "What did you do to him?" he asked angrily, his chest swelling with rage. He towered over Draco waiting for a reply.

"Fuck off Weasley, it's none of your damn business," Draco shouted flipping his body over and attempting to set himself upright.

Ron pushed him down again, "The hell it isn't my business. What did you do to Harry?" he asked again more forcefully.

Draco slipped away and stood up before Ron could reach him again. "Listen; there is no time to explain. I have to get to Harry before he….."  Draco stopped mid sentence, looking like he had already said too much.

"Before he does what?" Ron asked advancing on Draco who was backing away towards the woods.

"Before he... he is going to hurt himself, okay? He does it when he is upset sometimes," Draco confessed.

"How does he hurt himself?"

"Harry cuts up his arms with a knife," he said.

"What?!?" asked Ron who was starting to follow Draco's lead.  "Why didn't you tell me? What has happened to make him so upset?"

"Ron, I think I should go to him alone, alright?" Draco turned around and headed into the forest.

"No, it's not alright. I am going with you," Ron said grabbing Draco's arm.

The blond shrugged him off and continued walking quickly. "Fine!"

They stalked through the woods urgently searching for their small friend.  Ron could tell that Draco was really upset. His eyes seemed glossy like he was trying not to cry. Something had definitely happened between them. He kept giving the other boy a dirty look not knowing what else to do.  They were practically jogging they were walking so fast.

"Why does cut himself?" asked Ron finally.

"Because he is trying to escape the pain in his life," answered Draco, irritated that Ron couldn't figure it out.

"That doesn't make any sense. He escapes pain with pain?" Ron was dumbfounded, he had never heard of anything so absurd in his life.

"Sometimes physical pain can mask one's emotional pain. It's like he is punishing himself for everything that has ever happened. I don't think he does it a lot, if you are wondering," said Draco looking over at Ron.

Ron nodded as if he finally understood. "But what happened to cause him to get so upset like that? He was fine earlier."

"…"  Draco walked ahead a little faster avoiding the question.

"Draco, what did you do to him?" Ron persisted. 

"…" Still Draco did not answer. Ron walked more quickly to catch up to him.

"Draco!"  Ron grabbed his arm and turned the boy to face him.  Ron was much taller than him and could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be. He glared at Draco daring him to give him a reason to pound him into the ground.  Draco pushed the taller boy away and finally responded.

"We were kissing okay, and things started to really heat up. I guess I took things a little too far and he freaked out," he said looking embarrassed and sorry.

"You didn't… you know…" Ron really didn't want to ask.

"No nothing like that. We were just… you know… touching…and I think I scared him," said Draco. This conversation was getting really awkward. Ron really didn't want to know what they were doing, but something was definitely wrong with Harry. If he liked Draco, why did he react like that? Usually couples enjoyed doing that kind of stuff. He certainly would!

Ron didn't say anything after that.  They just looked at each other and started walking again. Draco and Ron seemed to both heading toward the creek.  There was an unspoken understanding that was where Harry would most likely be.  They picked up the pace again.

After walking another few minutes, they indeed found Harry beside the creek.  He was sitting on the ground with his arms around his legs, head on his knees, rocking back and forth.  He looked much like the way he did that night Ron discovered him in the shower, his body riddled with bruises.

They proceed slowly.  Ron motioned Draco to stay back for a moment.  The blond looked like he was going to protest, but thought better of it and stayed slightly behind. He was the reason, in fact, that Harry had run out here in the first place.

"Harry?" Ron said approaching his best friend cautiously.  The small boy did not respond. He remained curled into a tight little ball blocking out the world. He kneeled down beside Harry, but did not touch him. He didn't want to alarm the boy like he had in the shower.

"Harry?" Ron said softly. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that in one of Harry's hands was a small kitchen knife from the Burrow.  There was no blood on it so Ron assumed that he hasn't used it yet. That's a relief!  He could feel Draco approach the pair a little closer.

"Harry…" Ron tried once more. It was taking everything he had to remain calm in this situation. Slowly, as if waking from a deep sleep Harry raised his head. His glasses were slightly askew.  His face was stained with tears and his eyes no longer looked bright and green. They looked haunted and dull.  Ron had seen those eyes before. He had seen them several nights after Harry had awaken from his nightmares. Ron desperately wished that his friend could finally find some peace.

"Ron?" Harry called out to his friend.

"Yes, Harry. I'm here.  Can you give me the knife please?" Ron wasn't sure if he should push him yet, but he was afraid of what might happen if the didn't get the knife away.

"But I need it…." he replied softly. He looked down at the knife longingly.

Draco kneeled down beside both of them. "No you don't Harry. You have me now. And Ron. We both are going to help you," said Draco nodding at Ron to take his lead.

"That's right Harry; we are going to help you. Now, just hand me the knife," said Ron.

Harry looked back at the knife and reluctantly handed it over to Ron, who promptly put it in his back pocket so that it would be out of sight.  The dark haired boy buried his face back into his arms and began to rock himself back and forth again.  He mumbled something into his arms. Draco and Ron looked at each other. Neither one of them could make out what he said.

"What did you say Harry?" Draco tried.

Harry lifted his head to respond. "You guys don't understand."

"What don't we understand?"

"…" Harry looked away, not wanting to reply. 

Ron thought maybe he would talk about what was wrong if he asked what had just happened with Draco.  "Harry, why did you get upset when you were….um…intimate… with Draco…"

"I heard the sound," he replied coldly.

"What sound?" asked Ron puzzled.

"The zipper…I hate that sound," Harry said angrily.

"Why do you hate the sound?" asked Draco. He dreaded what Harry my might say next.

"Because it brings back too many memories…" Draco and Ron looked at each other. It looked like they were going to have to painfully pull every bit of information out of him. 

Ron had a feeling about why Harry was reacting the way he did. He should have seen the signs all along. He was always so withdrawn, and he flinched whenever anyone touched him. And the way he said that he was 'dirty' when he was in the shower that first night. It was all starting to make sense. "Harry, has your uncle ever touched you?"

"…" Harry only looked away.

"Harry?" he tried again.

Harry looked down at his arms and feebly said "Yes."

Draco looked at Ron alarmed, but Ron motioned him to be quiet while he had to ask his friend these painful questions.

"When?"

"Mostly when I was real little, before I knew better. It usually happened when my aunt went out or if I was taking a bath."  Ron could only imagine the horror that Harry went through as a small child.  How could anyone hurt a child like that? What kind of sick individual does that to a helpless little boy? No wonder Harry had such a hard time trusting anyone.

"Harry, did he try touch you this summer?" Ron hoped that he was wrong. Harry had been through so much already, why this too?

"He had been having problems at work and started coming home drunk. My aunt always refuses him when he's like that," Harry answered.

His response really didn't answer Ron's question. His heart was pounding in his chest. Tears were threatening to fall down his cheeks. He didn't really want to know because it was too awful to think about. He took a deep breath and asked him again.  "Harry, did he touch you this summer?"

Harry let out a sob and started to shake his head back and forth as if he could deny everything that has happened. Ron looked over at Draco wondering if he should press him further, but Draco was crying now too.

Ron finally couldn't take it any longer and decides to ask Harry the one thing that he feared had happened.  "Did your uncle rape you?" he asked in a voice just above a whisper.

Harry began sob more openly, but managed to get out "Yes…"  Ron's heart sank when he heard the information that confirmed his fears.  This must be why Harry was so adamant that his uncle not be brought to court. He didn't want anyone to the entire wizarding world to know that he had been raped. He didn't even want his close friends to know what had happened to him. He had hidden the rape from everyone, and he had allowed the memory of it to eat him up inside.

Harry began to rock himself more forcefully and was rambling incomprehensibly, "Oh gods…I couldn't stop him…I already hurt so much… I was so weak….couldn't stop him…forgot to lock the cupboard…ran away….Burrow…"

Draco was sobbing now too.  Ron carefully embraced Harry, who struggled to get away at first.  "Harry its okay. I won't hurt you. It's okay to cry…" Ron was crying along with him now holding his friend tightly.  Seeing the look on Draco's face, he turned Harry towards him, understanding that they both needed to be held. Ron knew know that Draco had not meant to hurt Harry. He was only trying to be affectionate with the person he loved. He wouldn't have gone so fast had he known how Harry's uncle had hurt him.

Draco was holding Harry tightly and was whispering soothing words into his ear.  "I am so sorry I scared you. I love you, baby. No one else is ever going to hurt you again. I will take care of you…. I love you…."

They sat close together that way long after the sun had set. There was no other conversation. There really wasn't much to say. The three of them silently understood that Harry truly did not want the world to know about his so called life.  It was too much to bear.  There was no need to push the issue of pressing charges.  His uncle had already been punished by Remus having had to relive his awful crimes over and over again.  Reporting the rape would only send the media into a frenzy and make Harry's life a living hell.

They walked back in the dark to the Burrow. Ron made a mental note about watching Harry more closely for signs that he was cutting. He knew that he couldn't push the boy, but he also knew that the cutting could not be ignored. He wondered about telling an adult about the situation, but he had yet to come up with an answer to that problem.  Harry may need some counseling of some kind. Telling an adult may only upset Harry more, but they may no more about how to help him.  He was lost in his thoughts when he heard Draco ask Harry a question.

"Harry, I need you to promise me that you won't cut again. You don't need to anymore. We are here to help you," said Draco holding Harry's hand.

"Okay, I promise," said Harry reluctantly. "But I need you both to promise me something."  He stopped dead in his tracks.

"What?" they said in unison looking at one another.

"Promise me you will never tell anyone what happened. Not even Hermione!"

"Harry…."Ron began. He really didn't want to promise something like that.

"No, I already know what you are going to say and I don't care.  Besides I was healed from all the potions Madame Pomfrey gave me.  Nobody can change what happened, and I don't want anyone else to know. Not even the adults. Its bad enough you both know" Harry was getting upset again.

"Harry, you should really talk to someone about this. It's not good to bottle everything up," said Draco.

"No, everyone will pity me even more and think I am some kind of freak!"

"You are not a freak! Now stop getting so upset. We promise, okay? We won't tell anyone as long as you stop cutting. Right Ron?" 

Ron was irritated that Draco had made this decision for them, but he agreed anyway.  "I promise, too."

"Fine," said Harry, and they continued on their way. 

They entered the house quietly and went upstairs to freshen up. Dinner would be served shortly and they had to come down looking like nothing was wrong. 

Dinner was the usual affair. If Ron's family suspected something, they certainly didn't say anything. Instead, they discussed packing their trunks for Hogwarts and the results from their OWLS from last year.  Mrs. Weasley kept asking Harry and Draco if they would like seconds and thirds.  The only one who looked like they were suspicious was Ginny. She was a little put off with Ron for ditching during their mock Quidditch practice.

Ron glanced over to the couple at the end of the table. Harry was still really quiet, and Draco was trying to engage him in a light conversation. Although Ron was angry with Draco for not telling him about the cutting earlier, he was glad that Harry and Draco at least have each other.  There was something about the way they looked at one another that Ron could tell that they were meant to be together. Ron had never seen Harry this way with any other person. He seemed more relaxed when he was around Draco. He had first started noticing it in Diagon Alley. Their bodies seemed like they were in synch, somehow always touching one another. They looked into each others eyes as if they could read on another's minds. The only way Ron could describe it was that they were somehow soul mates. Ron hoped deep down that he and Hermione would develop that type of relationship.

A/N: How was this chapter? Please let me know in a review… I am begging you. *on hands and knees groveling* I had around 90 reviews before my story got pulled, and now they are all gone…gone I say…..*sniffs sadly*.  Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far:

Lady of Arundel 

Katie 

Harry-Potter5972 

I Forget 

Bandit-Lone-Wolf   
love_orthelack_thereof 

Angeleus 


	17. All Aboard!

Chapter 17-All Aboard!

Draco, Harry, Ron and Ginny each packed their trunks eagerly. They couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. Draco thought that it was nice to see Harry so excited for a change. He was still somewhat reserved, but he was definitely a lot more open to everyone than he had been this past summer. He had been chatting with Ron the last couple of days about the possibility of joining their house Quidditch team again. He was even betting the red haired boy who was going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.  

Draco couldn't quite figure out what had brought about the change in Harry. Maybe it was the relief of returning to the school he loved so much. Maybe it was the fact that he no longer had to completely hide his dark secret from the entire world. Deep down, Draco hoped that Harry's current state of happiness was due to their new found relationship.  He was pretty sure that Harry hadn't cut since they had confronted him, and that gave him the most relief.

Once they were all packed, the four children were escorted to King's Cross Station by a few members of the order. Remus and Tonks accompanied them, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.  They were transported by a muggle vehicle that Mr. Weasley had borrowed from the Ministry of Magic. The large group sat side by side in the magically enhanced vehicle quietly taking in the scenery as they made their journey.  Tonks broke up the tension by periodically changing her hairstyle to reflect the various trends that had occurred in Britain over the last three hundred years or so.  Of course, her hair color changed as well, but Draco was sure that he had never seen anyone else with purple hair before. It was really quite amusing, and everyone giggled each time a new style adorned her head.

They had arrived fairly early so the station wasn't as crowded as it normally was on September 1st.  They took advantage of this fact and their goodbyes at Platform 9 ¾ were heartfelt. Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to want to let her precious children go. She seemed equally fond of both Harry and Draco as she was of her own children.  She gave each of them a kiss on their forehead before she finally managed to let them board the train. 

Remus followed the four students to the last compartment on the train, which was where the Gryffindor Trio usually sat. He wanted to make sure that they arrived safely, and he explained that he had to check the rest of the train anyway for death eaters. Hermione said that she would meet them on Hogwarts Express, and Ginny was hoping that Neville would be able to join them as well. The compartments were quite large.

"Is everyone all set?" asked Remus Lupin.

"Yes, I do believe so," said Draco, answering for the others.

"Alright, well I will see you bunch in a few hours…oops…" The look on Remus's face indicated that he had let something slip that he hadn't meant to.

"What do you mean? Are you coming to Hogwarts? Why?" asked Harry enthusiastically.

"Ah… well… it's a surprise. You will see soon enough. I'd better get going now…" And with that the man left their presence and began his descent down the train checking each compartment.

The four children smiled at one another knowingly. Each one had their suspicion that he was going to be their DADA teacher once again, but no one wanted to say it aloud. It was too amazing to jinx it by voicing their opinions.

Draco sat quietly watching the other three talking about random things. He was extremely nervous about returning to Hogwarts.  All of his new friends were able to go to Gryffindor where they would feel safe and accepted. Instead, he had to go and face the Slytherins.  They weren't really a bad bunch. They mostly got a bad rap because of the few students who have death eaters for parents.  Draco mentally reminded himself that he used to be one of those students. In fact, he was probably the worst one out of the entire group. He made many lives miserable in his short career as a Hogwarts student.  He had made himself a solemn vow that he was going to change his ways.  He would always be a Slytherin at heart, he was too conniving not to be, but he was not going to intentionally go out of his way to hurt others as he used to. He would not allow himself to become the epitome of his father any longer.

Pansy Parkinson had made it crystal clear that he was now known as a traitor amongst his old crowd.  How was he going to be able to live in the dorm under their constant threats? Would they torment him relentlessly? What would they do if they learned of his relationship with Harry?

Harry, who was sitting across from Draco, had noticed that he had become quiet. "Hey, are you alright there?"

"Yeah, just thinking about stuff," he replied to his boyfriend looking away.

"It will be okay. You will see. Besides, your godfather won't let the others bug you too much," Harry said smiling.

Draco smiled back. Harry always seemed to know what he was thinking, and then say just the right thing to make him feel better. Being able to see his godfather was one of the few things that Draco was looking forward to when he got back to Hogwarts.  Severus had always been apart of his life, but he never felt compelled to strengthen his relationship with the man. Now that Draco knew that they both had turned their backs on the Dark Lord, it seemed so much more important for them to have some kind of a brotherly bond.  Draco also wanted to thank the man again for his generosity and kindness.  He didn't think he would have survived if it hadn't been for him. Draco was pulled from his thoughts once again when two students joined them in their compartment.

"Hey, everyone, sorry we were late, but Neville lost Trevor again," said Hermione, who was looking a little annoyed. Draco and the others laughed out loud. It was kind of a running joke about Neville losing his toad each year, but the event took place time and time again no matter how hard the bumbling student tried to prevent it.

"Sorry about that. I swear he does it on purpose," said Neville sighing.

Hermione sat down next to Ron and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.  Ron's cheeks turned bright red, causing his hair to look more coppery than usual. Harry raised an eyebrow and looked at Draco, who was smirking.  Neville sat down beside Ginny, who placed her head on his shoulder and gave a small sigh of contentment.  They each reached for each others hands and laced their fingers.  Seeing all the happy couples was making Draco a little irritated that he was forced to sit across from his own boyfriend. Looking up at Harry, he realized that he was thinking the same thing. They smiled at one another knowingly.  Harry wriggled his nose at him playfully, causing the blond haired boy to laugh out loud.  The other two couples looked at them bizarrely for laughing at joke that no one else had heard.

The Hogwarts Express began to make its way through the winding countryside.  Hermione had pulled out one of their sixth year textbooks, intent on finishing the last chapter before they arrived at school.  The rest of the gang was munching on sweets that Harry had purchased for everyone off the trolley.

Draco was just beginning to relax and enjoy the lazy ride, when the two goons that he dreaded seeing the most opened their compartment door.  Crabbe and Goyle glanced around the small cabin until their eyes finally landed on Draco.

"We didn't want to believe it was true, but here you are with the Gryffindorks," said Crabbe rudely.

"Yeah, Parkinson said that you were a traitor, but I didn't want to believe it," said Goyle.  The others looked between the two Slytherins and Draco nervously. No one had expected an altercation to occur so early.  They all thought that they had at least had until the feast before it started to get ugly.

"Shut up you two, and get your asses out of here," said Draco commandingly.  He hoped that the idiots would temporarily forget themselves and follow orders as they usually did. No such luck!

Crabbe looked over and saw Harry sitting across for Draco.  "Hey Potter, nice job on getting your godfather killed.  I heard that he didn't even stand a chance."

Harry's eyes flared with hatred. He reached for his wand and stood up determinedly. Draco also took out his wand and stepped in front of him facing the other two bravely.

"Leave him alone, and get the hell out of here before I make you wish you never set foot in this compartment," Draco said clenching his teeth in anger.

"Aww… Malfoy is protecting Potter…how sweet…," said Goyle.

"Get out!" Ron yelled joining his companions.

"What are you going to do? Make us?" said Crabbe.

The two idiots were too dumb to reach for their own wands fast enough.  Before they knew it they were hit with six different curses and kicked out of the compartment and into the aisle way. Draco locked the door and sat back down sighing heavily.  Everything was already turning into such a mess. What was the rest of the term going to be like?

"Sorry about that everyone," said Draco quietly.

"It's alright," said Harry sitting beside him. "Its not your fault… okay well its kind of your fault for being friends with them in the first place… but we understand."

"Yeah, well, they were never truly my friends.  Those two nimrods only hung around me because I ordered them around, and they thought that being friends with me would put them in good favor with their own parents."

"Well, we are your friends now so none of that matters anymore, okay?"

Draco looked up at the rest of the group who all nodded in agreement. He had real friends now, who had stood beside. "Yeah, thanks."

The rest of the journey continued with relative peace.  Most of the group dozed for the remainder of the trip. Only Harry and Draco stayed awake until they arrived at their destination.  Their eyes communicated that they were both apprehensive about what the new school year may bring. Nothing more needed to be said. When they finally arrived, the six of them stayed behind and waited to catch the last carriage up to the castle so that they would not be confronted by anymore slytherins.  

Upon reaching the great hall, Draco took a deep breath and nodded at Harry before he made his way over to his own house table. He had decided that it was still important to show house loyalty. The remaining five made their way over to the Gryffindor table and waited for the feast to begin. Draco chose to sit at the end of the table with Blaise. He knew that the boy had no ties to the Dark Lord, and he seemed to be the only student in his year that was willing to talk to him.  The black haired boy with a ponytail smiled at him reassuringly. He too must already know that I betrayed my father and turned my back to the Dark Lord. The rest of the slytherins kept looking over at him, their eyes shooting daggers.

Draco looked up at the staff table and was pleased to see his godfather.  Severus raised his hand slightly at him as if to say hello, and nodded. He glanced across the table at the rest of the professors noting who was still present.  Professor Trelawney was here, but Professor Firenze, the other divination teacher, was not.  The centaur must not enjoy dining in the Great Hall like the rest of us.  Draco finally noticed that Remus Lupin was sitting at the end of the staff table beside Hagrid.  He could see that their new professor had shyly waved over at the Gryffindor table to acknowledge Harry.

Draco vaguely watched the sorting hat ceremony.  It seemed as if there were fewer first year students being sorted this year.  In fact, all the house tables seemed a little emptier than usual. Draco pondered about that fact for a few moments, and chose to steal a glance over at Harry.  His dark haired angel looked really uncomfortable amongst all his classmates. Draco wondered if the crowd was bothering him. He knew that Harry had claustrophobia and hated being confined because of all the years of being locked in the cupboard by his dreadful relatives.  Harry looked back at him sensing that he was being watched, but neither boy dared to publicly acknowledge one another.  

It was as if Dumbledore had read Draco's mind when he finally began his speech. 

 "As you all know from my speech at the end of last year, Voldemort has regained power. Do not worry; we have taken all the necessary precautions to ensure your safety. The Ministry of Magic has finally come to its senses and has decided to acknowledge Voldemort's return. They are now working with the Order of the Phoenix to ensure that light will prevail. Many of our fellow students will not be joining you for classes this year because their parents deem that it is too dangerous.  I am sure you have all noted the empty spaces beside you at your house tables. I personally feel that there is no place safer than Hogwarts, but I am not one to judge others actions.  I implore you to cast aside your house differences and seek out new friendships with your peers. We are only as strong as we are united. Together we can make our world safer for future generations," Dumbledore paused dramatically to allow this bit information to sink in.

"Study hard and study well my children. I assure you that the skills that you learn today will be of great asset in the future.  One of the professors that will help you in that pursuit is Remus Lupin. He will be resuming his post as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Let's give him all a warm welcome." Most of the students clapped eagerly to have one of their favorite teachers back with them.

"Alright, without further ado….tuck in!" 

And with that, the welcoming feast had begun. The food was glorious as usual, and the conversation between Draco and Blaise was quite friendly. Blaise seemed to know enough than to pester him with questions about what happened this summer.  Draco ate hungrily, but would occasionally look up to steal glances at Harry.  He noticed straight away that the small boy looked weary and that he had hardly eaten at all.  Although he was not nearly as thin as he was when Draco first saw him this summer, he still had a long way to go.  Draco wondered what Harry was thinking about that had caused him to lose his appetite.

When the feast was over, many of the students began to file out of the hall.  Draco glanced over at the Gryffindors. Hermione and Ron still had the responsibility of being prefect and had to escort the first year Gryffindors to their dormitory.  Draco had decided to give up his position as prefect this year, so he did not need to worry about his duties at the moment.  He motioned for Harry to stay behind, thankful that the rest of the slytherins were too tired and sated with food to care about him at the moment.

After most of the crowd had gone, Draco walked out into the hallway and entered an empty classroom. He hoped that Harry would read his mind as usual and follow him.  Sure enough, after a couple of strategic minutes, Harry appeared in the classroom and closed the door behind him.

"Hi," said Harry smiling.

"Hi. How are you?" asked Draco as he crossed the room to his boyfriend.

"Fine. What about you?"

"I'm alright. I noticed that you didn't eat much."

"I wasn't very hungry that's all…"

"Are you sure…because…"

"I'm positive," said Harry leaning into Draco to give him a kiss.  Draco responded to his gesture and pulled him into a hug.  He noticed that he was still much too thin, and he could feel almost every bone in his small body.  He was going to have to encourage him to eat a little bit more.  They both knew that they couldn't stay here much longer because they would be missed by the others.

"Goodnight my love," said Draco whispering into Harry's black locks.

"Goodnight," the small boy replied, pulling from the embrace. Leaving each others presence was agonizing. They had not been apart all summer, and Draco dreaded what he would face when he returned to his own dorms.  

Upon reaching the dungeons he noticed that his Severus was waiting outside of the common room entrance, leaning against the wall. He walked slowly toward his godfather wondering what he would have to say.

"Hello, Draco, are you well? You seem distracted at the welcoming feast." he asked pushing himself away from the cool wall.

"Yes, Severus, I am fine. I am just thinking about things," said Draco. Without realizing it, he had unconsciously glanced over at the oil painting that hid the entrance to the Slytherin common room.  The dark green serpent that adorned the painting was slowly coiling around itself hissing at the pair, waiting for the password to be uttered.

"I know that your dorm mates are already giving you so problems, and I am concerned for you safety. I took the liberty of arranging a new living situation for you."

"Really? Where will I be staying?" Draco asked hopefully.  Part of him wished that he could live with his godfather so that he could get to know him better. After living with the Weasleys all summer, he desperately wanted some type of family of his own.  

"You will still be staying in the dormitory with your housemates, but you will have a separate room that you will share with a roommate."

"Oh," said Draco somewhat disappointed. "Who is my roommate?"

"Blaise Zambini. I noticed your acquaintance at dinner tonight, and I thought that you may be pleased. He has already been informed of the new situation, and is waiting for you in your room," said Severus.

"Great, thanks!" Draco was thoroughly relieved that his godfather had thought enough for him to take care of the situation. It wouldn't prevent the others from tormenting him, but at least he could escape them and find peace within the confines of his own room.  After bidding the professor goodnight, he turned toward the painting and said the new password, "_basilisk."_

 Draco took a deep breath and entered the common room.  He noticed that almost everyone had already retreated to their rooms for the night.  Those students who were left were mingling around the fireplace. A few gave him a dirty look, but said nothing.  Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.  They probably had already learned about his friendship with the Gryffindors. House rivalries ran pretty deep, and the Slytherins generally hated the Gryffindors. Draco climbed the stairs towards his new dorm room; thankful that he had not encountered any would be death eaters.

A/N: Sorry that there is no sorting hat song in this chapter. I am not that creative. Hum a little tune in your head instead. *smiles*

Draco Malfoy -  thank you for continuing to follow the story even though I had to change the title. (I much preferred the old title, but I didn't want to raise any red flags and violate some infraction again) I still can't believe what happened. Stupid muggles!!

SlytherinRose – I update daily. Keep checking for new chapters.

Kayin-No-Kaze- Kill Vernon? Hmm…… I rather like that idea. If I make this story extra long, or plan on doing a sequel I will definitely take your suggestion under advisement. I have like 27 chapters planned and it only takes us up until Halloween night!

Lichan- thanks for the review.  I really needed it. *sniffs appreciatively as tears fall* I still can't believe all my precious reviews are gone.

Dark Angel- hey there, long time no see. Thanks for sticking with me.

blackenedsoul- thanks for your reply to my email. I still can't believe you read my story and liked it. Wow!

Pyrefly- thanks for your support

Angeleus- I update daily. ^_^

Immortal Memories – loss for words? Is that good or bad? Hmmm…

Harry-Potter5972 – I took a lot of time developing this story so that it wouldn't be like the others that you mentioned that have Harry reveal in the first chapter "Hey, I've been abused, raped and I'm gay." I hate that.  I like things to develop more naturally than that.

I Forget- thanks 


	18. Continuing With Classes

Chapter 18- Continuing with Classes

"Hey mate, how is it going?" asked Ron as he caught up to Harry.  They had to go to their transfiguration class next, and neither one of them were looking forward to it.

"Alright, but I am a little nervous about turning in all this homework. It's not my best work, and I know the professor is not going to be pleased," he replied sadly.

"Oh, I am sure that it is fine. McGonagall is sure to give you a break," Ron said brushing Harry's worries away. He was never one to dwell on academics for very long.  "You know, Quidditch tryouts are at the end of this week. Do you still want to go see Dumbledore later?" Ron asked changing the subject.

"Yeah, I probably should. I really would like to be able to play Quidditch again, and I am not sure if the ban on me has been lifted."  

"Okay, we will go after dinner," said Ron encouragingly. Professor Umbridge had been horrible to Harry last year. Not only had she kicked Harry off the team, but she had also placed a life long ban on him for getting into a fight with Malfoy, of all people.  She had also given him numerous detentions in which Harry had to write lines with an enchanted quill that carved what he was writing on the back of his hand.  She had since been pulled from her position, but they wanted to make sure that Dumbledore had revoked all of her ridiculous decrees.

They walked into their Transfiguration classroom and took their seats.  Their first couple of weeks was always lectures about their homework assignment and what they would be learning this year. This meant that they wouldn't be doing any actual transfiguring until next week. He tried to focus on what the professor was saying, but he found that his mind kept drifting to other things. Ron sat back bored out of his mind, and thought about life in general.

Ron was certainly glad to be back at Hogwarts once again. Maybe now they could all get their lives back to normal. Harry seemed to be adjusting to being back as well as could be expected.  He was still somewhat reserved around his classmates, which Ron understood perfectly well.  After all he went through; his friend was still learning how to trust everyone again. 

Ron still worried about his best friend nonetheless. He decided after much deliberation to betray Harry's trust once again and tell Hermione about the cutting. He convinced himself that it would be easier to see the signs if there was more than one person in their dorm that knew about it.   However, Ron decided to withhold the information about his uncle molesting and raping him because it was much too personal, and it would only send Hermione into a hysterical state. It took a lot of convincing on Ron's part to keep her from telling Dumbledore, and she swore that she would keep what she knew a secret from Harry. Together they watched him carefully, but they had yet to see any evidence that the cutting had continued.  They still worried about him endlessly. He had gone through too much for him to be completely stable.  They both agreed that if Harry had any more problems that they would intervene and force him to seek counseling.  Thankfully, Draco had a calming affect on Harry whenever he was around, and it appeared as if Harry was learning to trust again through his relationship with him.

Unfortunately, they didn't have as many classes together this year as they usually did.  They had to select classes based on how they had performed on last year's OWLS.  The classes they would take this year would prepare them for their NEWTS in their seventh year and also for the careers they were interested in pursuing after they had graduated.  Hermione and Draco had both done extremely well last year, so they were able to pick almost any class they wanted.  

Ron and Harry had both completely bombed the astronomy and divination exams, but amazingly did fairly well in the rest of their classes. In fact, they each got an 'Exceeds Expectations' on their transfiguration exams and an "Outstanding" on their potions exams. Apparently they were capable of being successful in potions when they didn't have Snape constantly berating them and looking for inadequacies.  Since they were both interested in becoming aurors they decided to take those classes that would possibly aid them in that pursuit.  Regrettably, this meant having to take potions with Snape again. Thankfully, Harry had at least one of his friends in each of his classes so they all could take turns looking out for their friend.  Not that he really needed it.  

Classes were a little more bearable this year because they would not need to take their NEWTS until their final year. This took some pressure off some of the studying, but there was as much homework as last year, if not more. Hermione had kept bugging them about taking their academics more seriously this year and had somehow convinced them all to follow her studying time table.  

Since Draco was not allowed in the Gryffindor common room, they studied in the library most evenings.  This made Hermione happy and gave Draco and Harry a chance to be together.  Although they had grown close to Neville as well, he preferred to hang out with Ginny in the Common. 

Sometimes, late at night, they would take a break from studying and sneak down to the kitchen for a bite to eat. It was an unspoken rule to make Harry snack as much as possible since he never seemed to eat enough.

After their transfiguration class, Ron and Harry met up with the others in the Great Hall for lunch. They mainly discussed how they their classes were going so far. Neville was enthusiastically talking with Ginny about some independent projects that he and Professor Sprout were collaborating on.  Neville had quite a knack for herbology, and everyone agreed that he should become the next professor to teach the course.

After lunch, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Neville, and Draco made their way to their next class.  It was by far one of their favorites. Everyone was excited to see Remus Lupin return as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He and Harry had gotten together a few times to discuss what Harry had taught to Dumbledore's Army last year so that Remus had a basis to begin teaching.  

Harry had decided to discontinue the club because he felt that they finally had a competent professor to teach them how to defend themselves properly.  

Although they were required to do some reading, many of their classes involved dueling with magical creatures or with each other. It was exciting to say the least, and they were all learning quite a lot.  Professor Lupin seemed to have some overwhelming need to teach everyone how to defend themselves properly against the Dark Arts.  With recent events concerning the death eaters in the back of everyone's mind, all the students were learning at a fevered pace.

Sometimes, Remus would ask Harry to stick around after class. They would often just sit quietly with one another and make small talk.  Harry had mentioned that occasionally the topic of Sirius would come up, and things would get really awkward. Harry still blames himself over his godfather's passing.  Rather than dwelling on his death, they discuss what Harry was reading in Sirius's journal.  Apparently Remus loved reminiscing about the old days despite the fact that all of his friends are now gone in one way or another.

That night after dinner, Ron accompanied Harry to Professor Dumbledore's office to discuss the possibility him being able to play Quidditch.  They stopped in front of the guardian statue in front of the office and entrance, and tried various passwords. Harry had remembered Dumbledore's obsession with sweets.

"Bubblegum…. licorice sticks…. chocolate frog….lemon drops…."

"We are never going to get in, Harry. Maybe we should approach the headmaster during one of our meals," Ron began to complain.  He hated waiting and was growing impatient.

Harry then began to try some more muggle candies. "Jolly Rancher…. Airheads….Snickers… Reese's Peanut Butter Cups…"

Suddenly, the stone guardian slid aside, revealing a winding stone staircase. They climbed the stairs, and knocked on the large wooden doors at the top.

"Enter," said Dumbledore's tired voice from the other side of the door.

The two boys pushed upon the doors and entered Dumbledore's amazing office.  Ron had only been in there a handful of times, and he was awed each time by all the marvelous things that his headmaster kept in his private quarters.

"Take a seat. I suspect that you have come to ask something of me," said the old man sitting across from them.

"Yes, headmaster, Harry and I were wondering if the life long ban had been lifted when Professor Umbridge left. You see Quidditch tryouts are at the end of this week, and Harry would like to rejoin the team if possible," said Ron.  Both Harry and Professor Dumbledore looked over at the red-haired boy curiously. Why had he spoken for Harry?

"Ahh…I see… is this what you want Harry?" said Dumbledore looking over at Harry with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, sir. I love playing," said Harry.

"Very well then, I will inform the Ministry that the ban has been lifted. I hope that you are reinstated as the house seeker as I enjoy watching you play. And I see no reason why I should uphold any of the silly decrees that blasted women set in place last year in my absence.  Consider all of them null and void."

"Thank you, sir," said Harry.  The two boys began to rise from their seat to leave the office, when their headmaster spoke again.

"Harry, would you remain behind for a few moments please?" he asked kindly.

"Alright. Hey Ron, I will see you later," said his friend sitting back done.

"Sure, no problem." Ron left the office and made his way down the staircase and towards his dormitory.  He suspected that Dumbledore wanted to see how Harry was doing after this summer. Ron wondered if the old man new about _all the awful things Harry's uncle had done to him.  He was positive that Harry intended to hide his awful secret from everyone._

When he arrived in the common room, he found Hermione sitting beside the fireplace in one of the love seats.  She was doing some "light" reading again. Smiling, he decided to sit down beside her. Ron was glad that he had Hermione to lean on for support.  They had grown closer than he even imagined in the couple weeks since term started.  She smiled sweetly at Ron, and resumed reading her enormous library book.

Sitting quietly beside her, his thoughts traveled back to last term when they had gone to the Department of Mysteries.  He had felt so useless that he had not been able to protect her that night, and he knew now that he had always loved her. He was just too blind to see it. The image of Hermione helplessly lying in the hospital ward unconscious after the attack was enough to compel Ron to finally proclaim his lover for her. 

"Hermione, there is something I need to tell you," said Ron.  Hearing the seriousness in his voice, she set aside her large book and turned her body to face him.

"What is it Ron? Is something the matter?" she asked worriedly.

"You know that I like you, right?" he asked.

"Yes, I like you too Ron," Hermione said smiling at him encouragingly.

"Well, I have been thinking about everything that has happened, and there is something that you should know. I couldn't bear it if something ever happened to one of us and I never told you this. Hermione…I…I lov….I love you," Ron mumbled.

"Oh, Ron, is that all. I knew that all along. I have just been waiting for you to say it. I love you too," she said laughing a little.

"Really, how did you know?" Ron asked astonished.

"A girl always knows Ron. What took you so long?"

"I don't know. I was scared I guess. So you love me too?" he asked sweetly.

"Yes," she said smiling.

Ron grinned and leaned forward, kissing Hermione deeply. They began to wrap their arms around one another when they heard someone step into the common room.

"Ahem," said a voice clearing their throat.  Ron looked up at saw Harry smiling at them sheepishly.

"Harry….you are kind of interrupting something here," Ron whined, irritated with his friend for the interruption. That was the second time he had spoiled the moment, and he seemed to be enjoying it.

"Sorry...sorry… I will just be on my way. I wouldn't want to disturb the happy couple," said Harry smiling as he proceeded upstairs.

"Now where were we," said Hermione leaning back in for a kiss.

Ron tried to answer but all that came out was an inaudible mumble as he succumbed to her soft lips.  This felt so right. He knew in his heart that he would love Hermione forever.

A/N: I _hated this chapter, but I needed to explain everything that is going on. You know, the everyday stuff that goes on at Hogwarts that may be necessary to the story later.  It felt that chapter was too broken up and scattered, and there wasn't enough dialogue. *deep sigh* I just don't know how to rewrite so I am going to leave it how it is. Sorry._

Malfoy Angel- I update daily

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Kayin-No-Kaze – thanks

Catmint – I was worried that you wouldn't find this story again. I am glad that you liked it.  Pansy will be a very evil character in my fic.

Katie – did you like this chapter?

Immortal Memories – I will take any review I can get.

another_loser_anthem- the old title was What Dreams May Come. Both the old and the new title will make more sense as the story progresses. I chose those titles for very specific reasons, well…. other than the fact that they are also the names of a few chapters. Thanks for your supprt.

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blackenedsoul- thanks


	19. Pansy's Proposal

Chapter 19- Pansy's Proposal

Draco had been confronted by the Slytherins about his new friendships several times, but each row ended only in verbal disputes. His new enemies had yet to even hex him, and mainly chose to talk about him behind his back.   Draco was thankful that his godfather had taken the liberty of switching his dorm room. It certainly made life a lot easier when he didn't have to be verbally assaulted each time he entered his room. Draco was just beginning to relax after his first two weeks of school when the inevitable finally happened.  He was returning to the slytherin dormitory after a late night study session with his new friends, when he was roughly grabbed from behind and shoved into an empty classroom.  He heard the heavy door slam behind him.

"Hey! What the…." Draco was completely disoriented. He dropped his bag of school books as he tried to figure out what had happened.

All the torches and candles that normally lit the classroom had been extinguished, and he found himself desperately searching in the darkness for his unseen attacker.  Fear gripped his chest tightly and he began to panic. Before he could reach for his wand, he felt two people grab him on either side preventing him from protecting himself.  

He heard shuffling across the room.  By the sounds of the movement, there were several people in here. They all must have used some night vision spell that allowed them to see in the dark classroom. Then he heard "Lumos," and one of the attackers lit the end of a wand to see him properly. In the dim yellow light that the wand cast, Draco saw that the two thugs holding him were none other than Crabbe and Goyle.  Standing in front him were four seventh year students and Pansy Parkinson.  He recognized each student to be among the crowd he used to hang around with. In other words, these were they slytherins that would follow their parents in serving the Dark Lord. 

"Hello, Draco," said Pansy sweetly. She closely approached the blond boy and reached out to him, stroking his cheek with her fingers. "It's been a long time."

"Leave me alone, Pansy. What the hell do you want?" Draco asked angrily. He began to struggle against the two holding him, but he knew that his efforts were pointless.  He had manipulated these goons for so many years for a reason; they made excellent bodyguards.  Now his power over them had long since expired.

"We have a message for you from your father."  They all stepped a little closer to him in a threatening manner.  Draco looked at them wide eyed. _My father?_ Does he know about my relationship with Harry?__

"What are you talking about?" Draco looked around the room trying to figure out how he was going to get out of this situation.

"He is with the Dark Lord now and he is very displeased that you chose to betray the dark side.  Because of our efforts, he now knows that you have befriended Potter, the weasel, and the mudblood.  But you now have an opportunity to redeem yourself."  He glanced at the young girl before him, and was surprised to see that this band of death-eater-wanna-bes was following her orders.  She reminded him a lot of Bellatrix LeStrange, one of the Dark Lord's most faithful servants.

"What do you mean?"

"You can put yourself back in your father's good graces by spying on them for the Dark Lord.  Dumbledore is quite fond of Potter, and he may tell him something of the importance. You are in a position in which you can gather the information that we need in order to formulate when it would be the best time to attack," said Pansy.

"What are you going to do to Potter?" asked Draco hollowly. He swallowed painfully as he thought about the fate that might befall his beloved boyfriend. Maybe he could get enough information from them to somehow save him. He knew from his experience this summer that the death eaters were planning on attacking soon.

"Oh, I don't believe we should tell you anything until you promise to do what we ask," said Pansy.

"And what makes you think that I even want to do this.  I betrayed my father for a reason!  I never want to become a servant to that vile creature you call the Dark Lord. I would rather die!"  
  
"And die you will if you don't do what we ask," said Damien, one of the seventh years.  Draco was getting really scared now.  How was he going to survive this one?

Pansy smiled at Draco, and began again, "You have a choice now Draco. Not many people in your position are ever allowed to redeem themselves.   Serve the Dark Lord or perish with those that oppose him. Choose wisely. Now, will you help us spy on Potter and his friends?"

"NO! NEVER!" Draco yelled.

"Then you will suffer the same fate as your friends. We will let you live for now, but you will rue the day that you turned down this offer.  Speak about this meeting to anyone and you and your _new friends will come to incredible harm," she said icily. _

Suddenly the light from the tip of her wand was extinguished and Draco found himself in total darkness again.  

"Proceed," he heard Pansy say. And with that the brutal beating began. Draco felt himself flung to floor, and mercilessly kicked and punched by his attackers.  He tried desperately to get away or defend himself, but his efforts were in vain. He was in too much pain to even risk grabbing his wand and hexing them all. He wasn't even sure when he passed out, but the unconscious darkness came with blessed relief.

He awoke sometime in the middle of the night in the hospital infirmary.  He was confused at first by his surroundings.  The light in the room seemed blinding after being in that oppressively dark classroom.

"Ah, I see you are awake finally. How are you feeling Mr. Malfoy?" asked Madame Pomfrey approaching his bed.

"Okay, I guess. How did I get here?"

"Professor Snape found you in the hallway. He went looking for you when your roommate informed him that you hadn't returned yet from your study session.  You were quite injured when you arrived.  I had to repair a broken arm, and the extensive cuts and bruising you sustained on your face and abdomen. I am assuming you were beaten by someone," she said firmly.

"Yeah, but I didn't see who did it," said Draco.  Well, that was partly true.  He was in the dark when he was beaten up.

"Very well then.  Should you remember anything else, please see your Professor Snape or Professor Dumbledore regarding this manner. I would hate to see you in here again." The nurse gave him a curious look as if she knew that he was holding back something, but she said nothing more about it.

"Okay.  Where is Professor Snape now?" he asked.  He knew that he needed to inform someone about what happened, but he felt that his godfather would be the only one that he could trust with this information.  He remembered the warning that his attackers gave him about telling anyone what happened. He did not want to see anyone come to harm because of him, especially not Harry. 

"Well, he stayed with you for a couple of hours, but I had to kick him out so that he could get some rest. He was quite concerned about what happened, and I believe he has already informed the headmaster.  I suspect that Snape will want to speak with you right away."

"Alright," said Draco yawning loudly. He was feeling rather sleepy despite his long nap.

"Your body has already healed completely, but I would like you to stay the night for observation. You may leave in the morning.  Would you like a sleeping potion?"

"No thank you. I don't believe I will need it," said Draco yawning again. And before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

Madame Pomfrey woke Draco early the next day to check on his status. Seeing that he was well enough to return to his dormitory she dismissed him.  Draco dressed quickly, grabbed his school bag full of books, and made his way down the many hallways and staircases back to the Slytherin House. He hoped that he would be able to shower and change into some fresh clothes before anyone else had wakened.  He didn't want a repeat of what happened last night.

Thankfully, not many people were up at this early hour so he was not disturbed as he went about his morning routine. Upon looking in a mirror, Draco saw that the bruising he had incurred had indeed been healed by the school nurse.  There were only a few faint traces of the bruises on his face and abdomen, but he was sure that these would fade fairly quickly being that he still had the healing potions in his system.

He crossed the hallway and entered his dorm room to find a fresh pair of clothes.  Blaise heard him rustling about their room and raised his head groggily.

"Draco, is that you?" the black haired boy asked, his eyes squinting in the dimly lit room.

"Yeah, it's me. Go back to sleep, it's still pretty early," said Draco laughing at his friend.  Blaise looked pretty funny right now. He had a classic case of bed head because he didn't wear his hair in a pony tail at night.

"I was worried that something happened to you. I told Professor Snape last night that you were missing. I hope that you don't mind. Are you alright?" he asked his voice full of concern.

"I'm fine," said Draco coldly as he finished getting dressed. He cast his soiled clothing in the hamper. _Can house elves get out blood stains?_

"Something did happen, didn't it?" Blaise quickly got out of his warm bed and crossed the chilly room to see if he was okay.  He crossed his arms to keep warm and tried to ask him again, "What happened?"

Draco sighed and said, "Listen I can't give you any details, but I was threatened by some of the Slytherins because of my friendship with Harry."

"They beat you up didn't they?"

"…" Blaise took Draco's silence as confirmation.

"How awful! I am so sorry Draco. Maybe I should start escorting you to the library to study from now on. Hell, I could probably use a little help from Granger myself. What do you think?"

"I don't know Blaise, we'll see.  Thanks for worrying though. Listen, I will see you down at breakfast, okay?"

"Okay, as long as you are alright," said Blaise turning back to his warm bed.

"Yeah, see you later," said Draco. He grabbed his book bag and quickly left the slytherin dormitory.  Only a couple of students had seen him cross through the common room as he left. He went straight the Great Hall even though breakfast wouldn't be served for another hour or so. He sat quietly and read one of his textbooks as he waited.  He hoped that Severus or Harry would show up early so that he could talk to them. He needed someone to lean on right now because it felt as if his entire world was threatening to crash down upon him.

Sadly, both Harry and Severus had arrived to the Great Hall later than usual, and it would be impossible to speak to either one alone right now. Draco sighed deeply and concentrated on eating the bacon and eggs before him. He nodded at Blaise when he had finally showed up to their morning meal, but he didn't engage any conversation.  Blaise seemed to sense that Draco wasn't in the mood to talk right now and ate quietly beside him.  Breakfast was soon over, and they left the Great Hall to attend their classes.

He had double potions first thing that morning, which brightened Draco's spirits slightly. He had always enjoyed Potions the most of all his classes, probably because he always did well in the course. Potions was something that he naturally excelled in, and it certainly helped that his godfather and head of his house taught the course.  He loved the warmth that spread through the normally dank dungeons as he added the ingredients to his smoldering cauldron. The process of stirring and mixing ingredients always brought a sense of peace to Draco. 

Last week he had almost dreaded going to his favorite class. Harry had expressed how nervous he was to go to potions this year. Last year Draco would have been delighted to see the apprehension on the boy's face as he entered the dungeon classroom, but now it only brought him pain. He had feared what his godfather may say or do to his beloved boyfriend. It was widely known that Snape had always treated him with mocking disdain, and he made no qualms about trying to publicly humiliate the living representation of the man that had treated him so cruelly in the past. Harry had told Draco about what had happened during the occlumency lessons last year. Although he didn't know what he specifically saw in Snape's pensieve, he knew enough to know that his godfather had been bullied by Harry's father and his three friends. Apparently the foursome had deemed themselves the _Marauders and had caused an impressive amount of mischief at Hogwarts that rivaled only the Weasley twins' mayhem last year. _

Thankfully, class had become much more bearable for his boyfriend now that Snape had lost his Harry-Potter-is-treated-like-a-golden-child attitude.  Somehow knowing how awful life had been for Harry softened his cold exterior. It was as if he regretted all the things he had ever said or done to Harry. In fact, it was Severus who first approached Harry and Dumbledore about teaching Harry occlumency again. Snape was no less mean to the Gryffindors, and he still took house points away at every opportunity. But he no longer belittled Harry in front of everyone.  It seemed that Snape was finally able to see Harry for who he was. A scared kid trying to do his very damn best, but kept getting knocked down in the process.  

As he entered the classroom, he saw Severus in the front of the classroom. His godfather nodded at him, and Draco nodded back. It was as if they had communicated telepathically that he was okay and that they would talk about what happened last night later.

"Hey guys, mind if I sit with you?" Draco asked his new friends once he had located them across the room.

"No problem," said Harry moving over and pushing Ron and Hermione out of the way. Draco had decided to sit with the trio because he enjoyed their company and the slytherins wouldn't want to be his partner anyway. Out of the corner of his eye he could see some of the slytherins talking him and laughing. Draco feared what they may be planning to do to him next.  Snape glared at their side of the room and the small group quickly hushed their conversation. Draco noticed that many of his classmates from last year were again in his class except Neville Longbottom. Poor Neville had all but failed his OWL exam for potions so he was not permitted to take the class, not that he would particularly want to. He had always done poorly in that subject.  

"Are you alright?" asked Harry sensing that something was bothering Draco.

"I'm fine…." Harry was giving him a knowing look, "alright…I am not exactly fine, but I will tell you about it later. Okay?"

Harry nodded at him, but his eyes still showed concern.  They both turned their attention towards the head of the room where their potions professor was slowly pacing back and forth across the room waiting for the precise moment when he may begin class.  

Upon hearing the bell, Snape began his lesson.  Today, they were going to learn about some basic healing potions.  Harry and Draco looked at one another curiously. It was as if this lesson had been specifically designed with the two of them in mind. They smiled at one another and got to work. Draco noticed that Harry was taking careful notes on everything that Snape was saying. Hermione smiled at their efforts appreciatively.  Ron looked irritated that they were trying so hard and resolved to allowing Hermione to do most of the work.

Severus was unable to meet with Draco that day to discuss what happened because he had to attend a meeting for the order. Their conversation would have to wait for another day.

Later that evening, well after dinner, Draco and Harry agreed to meet at the Room of Requirement. Draco had never been there before, but he knew a little about it from Harry's descriptions of the DA club he and Hermione organized last year.  Harry taught him how to find and open the room according to what he needed.  Apparently you had to think about what you needed in the room that would aid you and it would appear. Draco was somewhat skeptical, and was completely surprised when they finally entered the room.

It was one of the coziest rooms Draco had ever been in. There was a fire burning in the large fireplace across from the door. Two large couches flanked the fireplace on either side, and large fluffy pillows were scattered about the floor.  

The room was decorated in rich warm colors and had large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lake.

"Wow," said Draco who looked thoroughly impressed.

"You should have seen the room when we used it for Dumbledore's Army. It was much larger and had an entire library filled with books that we would need to help defend ourselves."

Draco looked over at Harry and smiled. He grabbed his hand and let him over to one of the overstuffed couches.  Sitting back against the comfy couch, he pulled Harry down beside him. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and sighed deeply. He loved holding him like this, and he knew he was the only one that Harry trusted enough to touch him.  When they were together like this if felt like nothing in the world could ever harm them again.  Occasionally, Draco would kiss Harry on the top of his head and squeeze him tightly. They sat quietly like that for almost half an hour before Harry finally spoke. 

"Draco, you said this morning that you would tell me what was bothering you later. Isn't now later?" he asked pulling away from Draco so that he could look into his eyes.

"Yeah, I know, but I am not sure I should say anything."

"Why? Are you all right?"

"I am now," said Draco bitterly as he remembered what occurred last night. It was a little to reminiscent of how his father used to punish him.  If Draco didn't know better, he would have sworn that Lucius had probably ordered his housemates to beat him.  No, they did that out of pure hatred.

"What do you mean? Were you hurt?"

Draco sighed again and began his tale.  Harry listened with bated breath, and hugged him fiercely when he finished his tale.

"I am so proud of you," Harry said quietly.

"What? Why?" Draco asked curiously.

"Because you were presented with an opportunity to rejoin your father, and you chose to follow your heart instead. You are incredibly brave, and I love you for that."

Draco smiled at him warmly. "Did you think I would give up something this wonderful?"

Harry looked away ashamed. "A small part of me always wondered."

"Harry, I love you. Nothing is going to changed that.  Besides, I turned my back on my father before I ever got a chance to really know you.  Now that I do, I feel foolish for wasting all those years we could have been together. I am glad that I no longer have a father, and I certainly don't want to go back to that life. Don't you trust me?"

"I do…it's just…that I have a hard time understanding why anyone could ever really love me."

"How can you say that? You have many people who love and care about you," said Draco taking Harry's small face in his hands.

"But I am a burden on everyone, and I only get people hurt. And don't say I don't because you know it's true."

"Oh, Harry…."  Draco leaned forward and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

"Do you think you will ever want to …t-touch me again…now that you know….know that I am used g-goods?" Harry asked. A tear trickled down his face as he asked Draco this painful question.

"Of course I will Harry. I think about you all the time, but we will wait until the time is right and you feel safe. I don't want to hurt you like I did that day ever again. I never meant to make you relive those awful memories. It's not your fault what happened to you," Draco said reassuringly.

Harry nodded numbly, and wiped the single tear away. 

  
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Draco.

"No, not right now. The memories are still fresh. Maybe someday though."

"I will be here for you whenever you are ready. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Draco."

"For what?"

"Loving me," said Harry as he leaned in for another kiss.  Their snogging session was brief, because Draco didn't want to move too fast with Harry. He was content upon holding him instead.

After a long while, Draco decided to ask Harry about how he was coping everything so far. He hated doing it, but he was concerned about the poor boy's welfare.

"Harry, may I see your arms?" he asked.

"Why?"

"You know why," said Draco firmly.

Harry scowled at him as he pushed up his sleeves. Draco was relieved to see that he had not cut himself again. "Are you happy now?" said Harry bitterly.

"Listen, don't be that way. I just want to make sure that you are okay."

"I know you don't seem to think I can handle anything. You are just like everyone else, always coddling me like I am a child. Why can't you give me the benefit of the doubt?"

"Because you lied to me before," said Draco raising his eyebrows at the dark haired boy.

"Alright, you got me there, but I didn't do anything, Okay? I thought about it a thousand times, but I didn't cut."

"When do you think about it?" asked Draco concerned.

"Mostly when I have had a nightmare."

"What are your nightmares about?"

"Oh, you know, the run of the mill nightmares: seeing Cedric die in the graveyard, watching Sirius fall through the veil, and oohhh…my favorite.... reliving the abuse from my uncle," said Harry sarcastically and darkly.

"I'm so sorry Harry. Can't you take a dreamless sleep potion?"

"Yeah, but Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey won't let me take it more than a couple nights a week. Apparently it can be addictive."

"Oh, I didn't know that. Do you have any other dreams?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like are you having any visions. Are you seeing things through the Dark Lord's eyes again?"

"His name is Voldemort, not the Dark Lord.  Fear of a name only increases the fear itself," said Harry firmly.

"Okay…okay. Are you see things through V-Voldemort's eyes again?"

"Well, not like that. Things have been pretty quite. I am getting worried. It's like I should be having those visions, but I am not. I wonder what Voldemort is up to."

"What do you mean 'not like that'?

Harry looked down at the couch as if he was trying to decide if he wanted to tell Draco or not. "Well…I did have this one dream where I am in a dark place with lots of people, but I don't recognize anyone. And I feel this incredible sense of dread and my chest feels really warm."

"That's it?" Draco asked. Harry nodded.

"That's not a lot to go on is it?"

"No, it's not. And I don't know what to make of it. I can't figure out if it's a 'normal' dream or something that Voldemort is feeding me."

"Can he really do that?" asked Draco astonished.

"Yeah, that's why Dumbledore is so insistent that I take occlumency lessons."

"When does that start?"

"Soon I think.  I am not looking forward to it."

"Everything will be okay, I promise," said Draco reassuring his boyfriend.

"I hope so," said Harry resting back into his boyfriends arms.

A/N: Okay, this chapter was never really in my original plans for the story, but I really like it. It sort of just evolved as I began writing. For a chapter that wasn't supposed to exist, I think it is my longest yet. (11 pages!!) What do you think? Does it fit in with the rest of the story? Is it unnecessary? What about Blaise's character? I am not sure if he is OOC or not. Hell, I don't even know if he is a boy in the HP books. I can never find any info on him when I am looking for it. Don't you hate that!

A/N 2: As you know, I usually update everyday, but I probably won't be able to post this weekend. Look for the next chapter on Monday.

Catmint- Thanks for the advice. Believe it or not I do know the difference between affect and effect. That was just a brief lapse in writing abilities.  Yeah…that's it… I probably should have a beta reader, but I update faster than they would be able to proofread my story. I am trying to get this all out before I have to go back to school.  Teaching and graduate classes will not afford me the time to write as often, and I don't want to leave the story hanging.

I Forget- thanks for the review. I didn't like this chapter either, but it will have to do.

Kayin-No-Kaze- thanks for the vote of confidence. What did you think of this one?

Krystal – my writing ability is extraordinary? THANKS! I have really strived to create a story with a lot of emotional depth, so thank you for validating what I have desperately have tried to do.

blackenedsoul- the sexual abuse will be revealed later out of necessity. You will see why.

SlytherinRose – no, no there will be no threesome in this story. I just didn't want Draco's entire house against him. I thought that would be a little unrealistic, so I made Blaise his one friend he could trust other than the Gryffindors.


	20. Quidditch Tryouts

Chapter 20- Quidditch Tryouts  
  
Ron had been bugging Harry all week about the Quidditch Tryouts, and when that day finally came, Ron felt absolutely nauseous. There was a lot of confusion about some of the positions that needed to be filled this year, and Ron had somehow convinced himself that he was going to be kicked off the team. He had quite a rough time last year during Quidditch season.  
  
Draco and his fellow slytherins had made up that stupid song "Weasley is Our King." Even though things turned out for the better in the end, that song still echoed in his ears. He had never felt more humiliated in his life. It took Ron a better part of this past summer to forgive Draco for that particular incident, and to this day he still can't look at the pitch without his heart pounding. In his mind he can still perceive an enormous sea of black cloaks and green scarves jumping and yelling the chorus to that awful song.  
  
They were currently eating their morning meal in the Great Hall. Hermione had another book propped up in her lap. She nibbled on some toast as she turned the pages. Ginny, Neville, and Harry were discussing his new racing broom, and debating on whether or not it would truly be faster on the pitch than his firebolt was. Ron, on the other hand, was avidly poking his fork and knife at his scrambled eggs and bacon. He concentrated on moving it from one side of his plate to the other and back again. Harry noticed that he was being awfully quite during breakfast and had barely eaten. Both of these actions were completely unusual, so Harry began to pester him about why he was so upset.  
  
"Hey, what's up with you? Why are you so quiet?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. I guess I am worried about the tryouts," said Ron truthfully.  
  
"Why? You were already on the team. I doubt that Alicia would replace you. You did well last year," said Ginny trying to comfort her brother.  
  
"I agree said Hermione," looking up from her book. "You have nothing to worry about." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and resumed reading.  
  
Ron sighed deeply, "We'll see."  
  
"Besides, it's me that should be worried. They replaced my position last year with Ginny when Umbridge put that stupid ban on me. I don't think I would do much good as a beater, but I am going to try out anyway and see what happens."  
  
"Harry, we don't even know if I will stay play seeker for Gryffindor this year. I am sure that Alicia will give you back your position," said Ginny. Neville reached for her hand and gave her a sympathetic look. It was obvious that they had discussed this possibility before. Ron was really hoping that Harry would be able to play again this year, but he would feel awful for Ginny if she were eliminated from the team. They had spent many hours practicing together this summer and it would be a real shame if the siblings couldn't play together again. However, it would certainly take Harry's mind off everything that happened last summer if he could play seeker.  
  
"Hey, I have an idea. We haven't visited Hagrid yet this year. Why don't we go over there and say hello before tryouts. I am sure that will help take everything off of your mind," said Harry sensing that Ron was still upset about the situation.  
  
"Alright, that sounds good," said Ron smiling. They finished their breakfast quickly and walked out to Hagrid's hut. Ginny decided to join them since she would be attending the tryouts as well. Hermione decided to study instead, and went in search of a book in the library. Neville said he would be heading back to the common room.  
  
They walked up to the door of the large thatched hut and knocked. Suddenly the half-giant threw open the door with a huge smile on his face, startling his visitors.  
  
"I was wondering when you were going to pay your old Hagrid a visit. Come inside, come inside. How are you?" he asked as he herded the three teenagers into his home. (A/N: I can't write how Hagrid speaks, sorry.)  
  
"I'm fi." Harry tried to answer, but he was suddenly enveloped in the large man's arms. The small boy stiffened in his arms with a panicked look on his face.  
  
Ron noticed Harry's apprehension and said, "What? We don't get hugs?" He knew that Harry was still feeling a little weird about being touched, and Hagrid didn't always pick up on the emotions of others all that well.  
  
Hagrid smiled at the siblings warmly and embraced them as well. Putting them down he said, "So what can I get you? Tea? Treacle Fudge?"  
  
"No, no thank you. We just came to say hello that's all," said Harry quickly. Ginny looked like she was going to say that she wanted something, but Ron shook his head at her. She didn't know about what Hagrid deemed appropriate for human consumption. You could break a tooth on what he calls fudge.  
  
"Alright, suit yourself," Hagrid said. "What are you three up to these days?"  
  
"We are about to go to the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts. I heard a rumor that Alicia, our captain, has been freaking out about it, and had to call in reinforcement," said Ginny.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ron looked at his younger sister quizzically. She probably heard that bit of info from Neville or something.  
  
"I don't know; that's just what I heard," she said shrugging her shoulders.  
  
"You are so unreliable when it comes to gossip."  
  
"I am not!" Ginny whined.  
  
"Are too," Ron complained.  
  
Hagrid laughed at the two siblings, and noticed that Harry was being particularly quiet during the conversation.  
  
"Harry, how are you doing now? Dumbledore told me what happened with your blasted relatives. Are you alright?" asked Hagrid.  
  
"Yes, I am fine. Thanks for asking," said Harry softly.  
  
"I told Dumbledore how awful they were. I just wish that I would have known what was happening so that we could have gotten you out of there a lot sooner," said Hagrid. Harry and the others said nothing for a few minutes. This was a delicate topic to talk about, and Harry looked as if he were regretting his decision to come there in the first place. He hated to be reminded of being in that hell hole.  
  
Ron noticed the tension in the air and said, "Well, we hate to leave so soon, but we should be going now. We have to get down to the pitch before Alicia has a hissy fit."  
  
"You have to leave so quickly? Well, promise me you will come back for a visit and have a cup of tea."  
  
"Sure, no problem, Hagrid," said Ginny smiling. She seemed quite fond of the half-giant even though she barely knew him.  
  
The three of them said their goodbyes and made their way down to the pitch. There were many students already flying around the stadium narrowly missing one another as they practiced some moves that they thought would help them get a position on the team. They could see Dean, Neville, and Seamus talking to one another high up in the air, away from the others. Ginny was surprised to see Neville among those trying out, and flew over to him and the others. Apparently, he hadn't told her about his intentions. They greeted one another with a quick hug and started laughing about something.  
  
Upon reaching the pitch, Harry and Ron were surprised to see the two most unlikely people there. Oliver Wood, their previous team captain who had already graduated, was standing near Alicia Spinnet, their current team captain. Ron shrugged at Harry, maybe this was the 'reinforcement' that Ginny was talking about.  
  
Also on the pitch was Draco. He was sitting on the far side of the stadium in the stands. He waved to Harry shyly as it was unusual for a Slytherin to come to a Gryffindor practice. Ron and Harry flew over to where he was sitting to inquire why he was here of all places.  
  
"Hey, what's up? I thought it was like taboo to attend the practice of the opposing team," said Harry jokingly.  
  
"Well, I can't exactly go back to the common room right now," said Draco smiling.  
  
"Why is that?" asked Ron curiously.  
  
"Remember when Fred and George tricked you and Ginny into eating some candy from their snackboxes?" asked Draco. Ron nodded at him. Harry looked back and forth between them utterly confused.  
  
"Well, I liked the idea so much that they gave me a complimentary snackbox and I have been saving it for a special occasion. I left the box in the common room and signed the gift tag to Pansy Parkinson from a secret admirer," said Draco smirking. Harry laughed as he realized what he had done.  
  
"Why would you do something like that? Are you seeking revenge or something?" asked Ron.  
  
"Something like that. I am sure that Pansy as well as many other slytherins will be heading to the infirmary tonight. There were a few nasty chocolates in there that make what happened to you and Ginny seem like child's play. It will take Madame Pomfrey more than a day to sort out the proper ingredients and apply the appropriate antidote. In addition, I applied a charm to the box to make their symptoms last longer than usual. I am sure Pansy will be miserable for quite a long time."  
  
"Draco, you shouldn't have done that. You could be in serious trouble. What if they figure out that it was you?" asked Harry.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Pansy has so many enemies that she will spend most of the term trying to narrow down who tricked her. Besides, I have Professor Snape on my side."  
  
"Alright, if you say so. I think we should be going now. I will talk to you later."  
  
Alicia blew her whistle and everyone circled around her. The group dismounted their brooms and stood before her waiting for directions.  
  
"Hello everyone, I am glad to see that you all made it. As you know, last year Fred and George Weasley were replaced by Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper after the incident with Malfoy." Alicia glared over at the section where Draco was sitting. She must have noticed him in the stands when he came in.  
  
"The twins have decided not to return to school this year. And Andrew and Jack were not permitted by their parents to return so we need to fill the two beater positions. However, Harry was the seeker on our team for several years before we had to replace him with Ginny, and I would hate to let either of them go. So what we are going to do is see how all of you do at each position, and make the decision from there. There may be some shifting of positions on the team as a result. Because of the unusual nature of this tryout I have asked Oliver here to help me in making the decision of who will be placed on the team." Everyone erupted in applause. He had been a great Quidditch captain.  
  
"Alright, we are going to watch you try your hand at each position. Since there are so many of you we are going to split you up into groups and rotate you to each position. You all need to be extremely careful as there will be several flyers out there today."  
  
Alicia split everyone up and the tryout began. Ron took a deep breath as he ascended through the air on his broom. He had tried so hard to be a good keeper last year and it looked as if he may lose his position on the team. He knew he sucked at it, but he wasn't sure what other position he would be good at. Seeker was out of the question; Harry would most likely get that position. He doubted that Alicia would split up the girls that played the chasers. Would he be a beater like his brothers?  
  
Ron was currently back at his old position as keeper defending the goal posts. His heart was beginning to pound in his chest as he waited to defend the goal posts. He could almost hear that blasted song "Weasley is Our King" as he flew back and forth. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see some of his friends trying to impress the captains. Dean and Seamus were passing the Quaffle back and forth between one another trying some fancy moves. Harry and Ginny were racing around the pitch in search of the snitch. Harry looked ecstatic as he raced through the air after the elusive golden ball. It was all Ginny could do to keep up. Poor Neville was having a horrible time of it, and could barely stay on top of his broom. Ron shook his head sadly wondering why he even bothered to get on a broom after the humiliating incident during their first year.  
  
Alicia and Oliver could be seen with there heads close together as they talked to one another about each position. Occasionally they would point at someone, and they would shake their head yes or no. They were standing so close to one another, Ron wondered if there wasn't something more going on between them.  
  
After two agonizing hours, Alicia finally blew her whistle again and everyone dismounted. The group extremely tired and looking a little worse for wear. "Alright everyone, excellent job out there. Oliver and I have watched each one of you carefully and have finally made some decisions. The chasers this year will again be Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and myself," said Alicia.  
  
The girls all high fived one another, thankful that their group wasn't split up, and they were able to keep their positions.  
  
"This year's seeker will be Harry Potter and our keeper will be Ginny Weasley," she said. Ron felt his heart drop into his stomach and let out a sigh. He knew his sister was better than him, but is still hurt that he had been replaced.  
  
"And finally our beaters will be Ronald Weasley and Seamus Finnigan. Ron I know I replaced you as keeper, but you have the same build as the twins and I think you will be better suited for this position."  
  
"That's alright, I am just thankful to still be on the team," said Ron smiling at his captain. He was extremely relieved. He was excited about his new position now that he heard Alicia's reasoning. In fact, it made a lot of sense. Ron was still growing, and he was already over 6 feet tall. He was too big to be quick enough to block the goal posts, but his bulk was an asset when it came to blocking his teammates and knocking bludgers at his opponents. Plus he could ensure Ginny and Harry's safety with the new position. Yes, things were definitely looking up.  
  
A/N: I am assuming that Katie, Angelina, and Alicia are all in the same year as Fred and George Weasley. Which means they would be 7th years, right? I don't know. I am confused. If you know the real answer let me know, but I am not sure if I will change chapter though. It would be a pain in the ass to figure everything out again.  
  
A/N 2: I really didn't like this chapter at all. I threw this chapter in here by the off chance that I may write a sequel to this story or make it extra long. I have many chapters planned but they will only lead up until around Halloween. If I decide to continue, then Quidditch will be important later in the story, right?  
  
Many thanks to all my reviewers!  
  
I Forget- You will have to wait to the bitter to end to find out if the ending is happy or not. Muahahaha! (Oh, I don't plan to write much about Draco's mother, but in the first chapter Narcissa was forced to go with her husband).  
  
Serpendiseria- thanks!  
  
Meg- Thanks for the ranting. It was good to hear someone else express how I felt about my story being yanked of ff.net.  
  
TigerCat- I have made an honest effort to find all the spelling mistakes, but it seems that a few are still getting through. Thanks for the heads up. It is always helpful to have some constructive criticism so that I don't type away blind to the short comings in my story. You are right, they are mainly from typing too fast to get the story out. My spell checker doesn't catch them because they are technically still spelled correctly, it's just they are the wrong use of the word. I would have a beta reader, but I post faster than they could send me the corrected chapters. I am glad that I am handling the sensitive issues like rape, abuse, and cutting well. I have never written anything before, and I was apprehensive about using those topics in my story. I just find them so damn compelling! I hope that you continue to read the story and leave me some more helpful reviews.  
  
Kayin-No-Kaze- Blaise is a character in the HP books, but he is only mentioned a few times. For example, check out page 122, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.  
  
Immortal Memories- umm.okay? This is a response to your review.  
  
dragonchild- thanks for the review, I will look forward to more.  
  
Katie- I agree about breaking away sometimes.  
  
Ashes- sorry, I had a lot going on this weekend. Don't worry I will update everyday this week. I am glad that someone agrees with me about Harry needing to be a mixture of both personality traits. Another reviewer mentioned that I was having some difficulty with spelling. I will try harder to proofread my work. Thanks for your comments about the last chapter, I really appreciate it.  
  
Kat- thank you for telling me that I didn't fall into any pitfalls yet. I will grab my thesaurus and try not to use "sweetly" as often. I never even realized that I did until you said something, but you are right. Keep in touch.  
  
ShaeLynn- thanks  
  
Etselec- thanks for the review. I am glad that you feel that I dealt with those sensitive issues in a realistic manner. I was really worried about that.  
  
Malfoy Snogger- What a long review! I love Draco and Harry's relationship too. I have tried to make them really tender with one another. Snape did tell Dumbledore about the attack, but not who caused it. As to the headmaster not kicking out those who "openly support Voldemort," well Draco in each one of the books certainly shot his mouth off to anyone who will listen about what will happen when Voldemort returned. Didn't he say that the mudbloods would be first to go in COS? And Dumbledore never kicked him out, and he does seem to always know what is going on within the school. Draco is now a reformed man, but he doesn't want Harry to get hurt because he tattled on the slytherins. They did threaten him after all. Plus, what drama would there be if there weren't any slytherins to make life miserable for our main characters? I think it is true about that people from other houses aren't allowed in common rooms, but it could just be a clever plot device. I have seen it used in many, many other fics. So I am not original in that sense. I agree with you about Blaise not being OOC because he is an underdeveloped character in HP.  
  
Dark Angel- Thanks liking the last chapter. I think Blaise is a boy too. 


	21. Worrying

Author Note: Okay, author notes at the top of the chapter is really annoying, but I need to get this out. The last chapter totally _sucked, and I apologize to everyone. I should have done my research a little better. I think we have all come to the conclusion that Fred, George, and Alicia would have graduated in Harry's 5th year. However, the year that Katie and Angelina are in is a little vague. In addition, the chapter was way to0 short and was lacking in many respects. I have decided to redo the chapter, but when and how I cannot say. It depends on how much time I have, but it may be when the story is completed. I have to get this darn thing before the end of August, when my life becomes utter chaos once again. Teaching and taking grad classes are really time consuming.  _

Chapter 21- Worrying

Ever since his encounter with the slytherins that landed him in the infirmary, Draco had been constantly worrying. He had a hard time sleeping at night, and he had barely eaten anything since the attack happened. Draco's stomach felt like it was double over in knots, and his brain seemed unable to focus on anything in his classes. All Draco could think about was their conversation from that night. It echoed over and over again in his mind:

_"You are in a position in which you can gather the information that we need in order to formulate when it would be the best time to attack," said Pansy._

Draco had not yet told Harry or Ron about the information that he gave to Professor Dumbledore that ensured his sanctuary. He had given his headmaster a list of names of all the death eaters that he knew of. Of course, Dumbledore knew about most of them already, and had his suspicion of the others.  Draco also told him that the death eaters had discussed planning an attack on Hogwarts in the beginning of their sixth year, but he did not know how or when. It appeared that the threat of an attack was true now more than ever.  All he knew was that the attack would take place during a large gathering, and that they intended to kill Harry.  A large gathering could mean anything though. Hell, there was a large gathering in the Great Hall three times a day during mealtime. Draco was scared to say the least.

Draco had yet to speak to Severus after he was attacked, so he decided to go in search of his godfather.  He found him in his private chambers brewing a potion.  His door was slightly ajar, but he knocked anyway.

"Professor Snape?" he said cautiously.

Snape looked up from his work and saw that his godson was peeking through his doorway.

"Well, don't just stand there like you are eavesdropping or something. Come in," he said in a detached voice.

"Hi.  I don't mean to disturb you, but Madame Pomfrey mentioned that you wished to speak with me about what happened that night," said Draco carefully. His godfather appeared to be in a foul mood.

"Yes, I did. I apologize for not coming to you sooner, but I had a meeting with the order as well as other things on my mind," said Severus.  "Come have a seat in my sitting room and we can talk about it."

Severus first placed a charm on a spoon that would magically stir the potion he was working on while he was away. Draco followed him to the adjoining room and they seated themselves on opposite sides of the couch.  He loved his godfather's personal quarters. It was decorated in rich colors and textures, and seemed almost lavish. It was side of him that not many people ever saw. Most students expected his rooms to be as drafty and uninviting as the dungeons that he taught his classes in. Draco said nothing for a long while because he wasn't sure where to begin or how much to even say. They sat together in silence for so long, that Draco had almost forgotten why he had come there in the first place.

"Well?" asked Severus slightly irritated.

"Well what?" asked Draco stupidly.

"Aren't you going to tell me who attacked you?"

"…" Draco still said nothing. He wanted to say something, but his mouth did not seem to want to cooperate with his brain. His stomach was doing flip flops as he thought about the possibility of an attack on Hogwarts.  

"Let me guess, they threatened you with bodily harm if you said anything, right?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"It is a typical threat technique. I can only guess who would have dared to threaten you in such a manner. I will definitely have to keep a closer eye on that group," said Severus.  Draco was shocked that his godfather would know who would have threatened him. The man certainly knew a lot more about what goes on in his house than he let on.  

"You already know who attacked me?"

"I have my suspicions, and Dumbledore does as well. But we cannot take action without your consent."

"Please, don't do anything about this Severus," Draco pleaded. He couldn't stop thinking about the threat they made about his "new" friends. He would not allow Harry to hurt anymore. "Besides, I have already sought my revenge on them."

"Oh really? You wouldn't by chance be Parkinson's _secret_ admirer?"

Draco nodded, "Are you mad?"

"No, it was rather amusing to see Parkinson's face covered in boils. It suits her somehow. I will trust you to not to take the manner in your hands any longer and let me know if anything else happens. So, what _can_ you tell me about attack?" he asked again.

"They gave me a message from my father.  He wants me to rejoin him by spying on Harry.  They said they are planning an attack. I remember them saying that they would try an attack this year, but I never really believed it until now.  I know from the death eater meetings I attended that they want to kill Harry, and I am really scared," Draco confessed.

"I am assuming that you turned down the offer, and hence the beating that ensued." Draco nodded at him.

"I only know what you do about the situation. I haven't heard much of anything lately, and I am beginning to wonder if Voldemort is questioning my loyalty to him. I seem to have been left out of the loop so to speak.  I told Dumbledore of the possibility of an attack this year, and he feels confident that if an attack were to take place, that Hogwarts would not fall. The order has been working tirelessly to ensure that additional wards have been placed around the castle as well as strengthening the old ones."

"Well that's good to know," said Draco.  Somehow he didn't feel reassured. He knew what the death eaters were capable of, and he shuddered at the thought of what may happen to Harry if an attack were to take place.  He wrapped his arms tightly around his body, and looked down at his lap. He was terrified at the thought of losing him.

"What is it child?" asked Severus gently.

"Its just...that… I don't want to lose him, Sev. When the time comes, I am afraid that they will kill him and that there will be nothing I can to about it."

"Draco, I understand that you are scared. But what will be, will be. We have taken all the necessary precautions to ensure everyone's safety, but we cannot predict what the outcome will be of such an attack."

"What kind of spy are you, anyway? You should know what the death eaters are planning," said Draco angrily.

"Do not take that tone with me! You know how delicate my position is within the Dark Lord's circle. It has taken me years to regain the trust of the other death eaters.  They are suspicious of me because of my position here at Hogwarts so I am not always privy to all their information."

"I don't care! I want you to find out what they plan to do with Harry," Draco demanded.  He knew that Voldemort wanted him dead, but he dreaded to think of the many ways that he may decide to torture him, out of pure sadistic pleasure.

"Calm down. What is it with you and Potter anyway? You all but hated each other last year. Why is he so important to you? Why do you even care what happens to him?"

"You don't understand… I love him, Severus. Okay? I can't lose him.  He has been through so much that I don't think he will be able to handle it if he is forced to battle Voldemort."

"I know everyone thinks that the Potter boy is the savior of the wizarding world, but that doesn't mean that he is going to do battle with the Dark Lord."

"Yes, it does. It said so in the prophecy," Draco retorted.

"What are you talking about? The prophecy was destroyed at the Department of Mysteries. No one knows what it said."

"Harry does.  Dumbledore told him later that night.  He said that Harry was the one to bring about Voldemort's down fall. _Neither one can live while the other survives_."

"Really? That is most interesting," said Severus lost in thought.

"Don't you see!  What if Harry is not strong enough to face him?  What if the Voldemort tries to possess him?  What if he uses the killing curse on him? There is nothing I can do to stop it! What will happen to us all if Harry dies?" Draco was near tears by now with worry.  His voice was sounding like something near hysterical.

Severus didn't respond to Draco's desperate questions. Instead he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his finger tips pressed together in a triangle like shape. He stared into the fire thoughtfully, as his hands tapped gently against his lips.  Draco sat back, frustrated that he was being ignored, and wiped away a few tears.  After a long while, Severus got up and retrieved a rather large book and what appeared to be a small journal from the bookshelf beside the fireplace. He carried them both over to his desk. Draco watched him flip through the pages, curious as to why his godfather had interrupted their conversation to do some research. He made a few attempts to interrupt him, but was briskly told to be quiet. After almost half an hour or more of his godfather cross-refencing the information, he took his seat again beside Draco.

He resumed his thinking position once again, and finally spoke to his godson.

"Draco, do you truly love Harry Potter as you say you do?"

"Yes, with all my heart. Why? What were you looking up?"

"Would you consider yourselves to be soul mates?"

"Yes, but I don't really know for sure." Severus nodded at him, and looked back into the fire.

"What are you thinking about? You are acting so strange," said Draco.

"If it was prophesized that _neither one can live while the other survives as you say it did, then it is imperative that we ensure that Harry succeeds in battle against Voldemort."_

"Yes, but what if Voldemort uses the killing curse? Nothing can block it!" Draco looked over at his godfather, and saw that the man had an odd smirk on his face.

"What are you smiling about? This is important!"

Severus sighed and finally told his godson what is on his mind, "There may be a way to protect Harry from the avada kedavra.  No one knows for sure how Lily Potter was able to protect Harry all those years ago from the killing curse.  It is assumed that she used her love and an ancient magic to save him, but she forfeited her life in the process."

Draco nodded at him, not really sure he was understanding.

"Someone who truly loves Harry may be able to save him in similar way if the Dark Lord tries to kill him again. Of course we would never expect this person to sacrifice their life, but there are grave consequences," Severus explained.

"Are you trying to say that there may be a way that I can save Harry?" asked Draco.

"Yes. Lily had a brilliant mind, and she did extensive research into finding ways to resist the unforgivable curses. It was one of the reasons that the Potters had to go in hiding.  Voldemort did not want anyone learning of a way to stop his progression into power.  She was unable to complete her research because of her untimely death, but I have in my possession her journal where she kept her notes.  There is an ancient spell that I am thinking of that has never been thoroughly tested, but is supposed to save the caster's soul mate from certain death.  However, the spell would only work if the two people in question were touching one another and it was cast just as _avada kedavra is said."  
  
"Really? That's great. Teach me the spell! I want to help save Harry," Draco said excitedly. This was too good to be true. Why hadn't anyone thought of doing this before?_

"Listen, it is not as easy as it sounds. The spell is wildly unpredictable, and it will only work if you are both truly soul mates.  And you yourself said that you are not entirely sure. We have no idea what may happen, and you may risk killing yourself as well."

"Well, let's say that we are soul mates, and I use the spell to save Harry. What would happen?" asked Draco.

"No one knows for sure.  There is only a limited amount of information about it in the ancient texts, and only one account of it actually working and that was some thousand years or so ago. It is believed that once the spell is uttered, your bodies will both go into a temporary coma like state, while your souls are thrown into some kind of limbo. Death is prevented by the souls drawing strength from one another, but your souls have to come to terms with has happened in their lives, and choose to live once again.  The problem is that if someone truly believes that they have died, or cannot accept what has happened in their lives, they will never recover and ultimately die."

"What do you mean by _come to terms with what has happened in your life?"_

"I mean that a soul has to accept what has happened in its life, no matter what awful things may have occurred. The soul has to want to live again, despite all of the hardships that they will face," said the professor.

"You mean that Harry would have to relive all of the abuse and death that has occurred in his life, and come to terms with it?" asked Draco.

"Possibly, no one knows for sure."

"It sounds like _hell!" Draco yelled._

"In some ways, it is like hell isn't it?"

"That's awful! I am not sure that Harry would be able to recover from something like that. It may take days, weeks, maybe even months."

"Well, that's another problem," Severus began. "The soul can only exist in limbo for 24 hours. Beyond that, and it will remained detached and the body will die."

"One day!" Draco exclaimed.

"Yes," said Severus sadly. "So you see why I was apprehensive about telling you about this. There are too many consequences."

"I don't care."

"What?"

"I don't care. I will do whatever it takes to save Harry. What is the spell?"

"Draco, I don't think you truly don't understand what you are asking. This is powerful magic we are talking about here," said Severus. "I only dared to mention it to you because it looks as if this may be the only way to save him if an attack occurs.  It appears that he _is important to our future, but I do not want you to get killed in the process. I care too much about you."_

"Severus, I love him with all my heart, and he is the one chance we might have in defeating Voldemort. I made myself a solemn oath that I would prevent him from ever coming to harm again. I will do whatever it takes. Are you going to help me or not?" he asked again.

"Alright, but promise me that you will think about this carefully. And I suggest that you speak of this to no one, especially Harry."

"I am sworn to secrecy," said Draco putting his hand over his heart.

"Remember, you must be touching when you say the spell and it will only work if you say at the same time as the killing curse. It is the only way to counteract it. The spell is _Solara Amicus."_

"Solara Amicus. Okay, got it," said Draco. He got up to leave. He had made it half way across the room when he felt Severus put his hand on his shoulder. He turned to face his godfather, and noticed the grave look on the man's face.

'Wait, Draco.  Before you leave there is something I need to ask you about Harry," he said seriously.

"What is it, Sev?"

"Well, you know that I have resumed teaching him occlumency, right?" asked Severus.

"Yes," said Draco.

"I have to enter his mind so that he can learn to block Voldemort from possessing him, but to do so I have to see his memories."

"Yeah, he told me about that."

"Well, after the summer he has gone through, some of his defenses are down and he is having a little more difficulty blocking me from his memories."

"What did you see?" Draco asked. His heart was beating madly in his chest as he thought about all the possible things this man may have saw as he penetrated his boyfriend's fragile mind.

"I think you may know what I saw," said Severus quietly.

"You saw the rape?" Severus nodded.

"Among other things. How is he coping with everything?"

"I don't know. He doesn't talk about it much," said Draco.

"I am assuming he doesn't want anyone else to know."

"No, I think he rather keep it to himself for now. He is afraid that it will somehow get out into the media because he is so famous," said Draco.

"Yes, that would be most unfortunate. Well, do what you can to get him to talk about it. It's the only way that he ever will heal. I will hold off for now telling Dumbledore, but if he doesn't start improving at occlumency, I may have to tell the headmaster so that Harry can seek professional therapy.  His memories are preventing him from mastering occlumency properly.  He is more vulnerable than ever to attacks on his mind by the Dark Lord."

"You should say Voldemort, not the Dark Lord. Harry says that the fear of a name only increases the fear itself," Draco said matter-of-factly.

"He sounds like Dumbledore," said Severus. Draco smiled.

He left his godfathers quarters and retreated back to his dorm room.  He felt better than he did in a long time. He was still worried about would come to pass, but at least now he was armed with something that my save Harry, and in fact save the future of the wizarding world as we know it.

A/N: Okay, so I made up the spell. _Amicus_ means friend in Latin, which is as close to mate as I could get.  The word for soul in Latin is Animus, but I thought Animus Amicus sounded lame, so I made up _Solara_ for soul. (hee-hee) Hence, the spell to save a soul mate is _Solara Amicus._

A/N 2:  Alright, a little disclaimer here…. This story is loosely, and I mean loosely, based on the movie What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams.  (I do not own the plot of the movie or anything else involved with it!) I love the idea of soul mates saving each other from the pits of hell, which is why I chose to originally give this story that title.  The scenes will be nothing like the movie, but I am borrowing the idea (hence the disclaimer).  What do you guys think? Does the spell sound believable? Am I making too much of a stretch here? Am I giving away too much of the plot? Let me know in a review.  Go on now… go click the little button in the bottom left hand corner….that's it…. wait….no you are going the wrong way…ahhh…

Many thanks to all my reviewers!

ReflectionsOfReality- I have found your review to be the most helpful of all those I have ever received. Thank you, Thank you *big hugs*. I love the idea of Ron becoming the team captain. He is a strategist and it would definitely strengthen his character. You're absolutely right, I hated the timing on this chapter, and I did skin over the better part of two hours. Quidditch can be really exciting, and I need to go back and take a little more care with it. As you can see from my author note at the top of the page I will definitely be redoing this chapter.

Draco Malfoy21 – thanks, H/D rocks!

Ashes – I try to reply to everyone. Don't forget to check out my story when you return.

ShaeLynn- thanks

Immortal Memories- knock, knock, are you alright in there? Getting a little punchy aren't ya?

 If you throw a plunger hard enough it will stick to a person's head. o.O 

Dark Angel240- keep following the story it will definitely get better!

 TigerCat – I loved Draco's revenge to. And thank you so much for offering to be my  beta. Check out my email to you for details.

chrisseee667- thank you so much. You are so right about Alicia, Fred, and George being 7th years in the fifth book. I agree with you that we are never really told what year Katie and Angelina are in.

Anne Rosemary McSommers- thanks

Kayin-No-Kaze- thanks!

Pyrefly- I update everyday.


	22. The Attack

A/N: I have a beta reader now named TigerCat. So there won't be the mistakes that you have seen from me in the past. I think TigerCat is only beta reading my new chapters, so the older ones will have to stay the same until I get someone to proofread them.

Chapter 22- The Attack

Ron was relieved that the next month or so had passed without incident.  The Slytherins ceased to give Draco a hard time, and even stopped tormenting most of the Gryffindors.  Harry had continued to adjust to life again at Hogwarts and seemed to be happy once again. He still had the occasional nightmare, but nothing that compared to the horrors he had faced for most of the summer.  

Ron had caught Harry on several occasions snogging with his boyfriend. He was still adjusting to the thought of Harry being with Draco, but was happy for them nonetheless.  His own relationship with Hermione had strengthened as well. Although they continued to fight over petty things, they were closer than ever.  

Their sixth year seemed to pass more quickly than all the others. They had Quidditch practice almost three times a week because Alicia was convinced that they wouldn't have as many opportunities when the weather turned for the worse.  Ron suspected that the real reason was because their first game was in November and they were scheduled to play against the Slytherin team.  

They also closely followed Hermione's busy study schedule.  They decided that it was important to heed Dumbledore's request to _study hard and study well.  If they were ever required to defend themselves against death eaters again, they wanted to be fully prepared. Ron was determined not to make a fool of himself like he did last year at the Department of Mysteries. _

Before the students knew it they were immersed in the glories of the late fall atmosphere.  The trees were now a myriad of yellow, oranges and reds. The cool weather was invigorating, and many of the students had taken to walking around the lake between classes.  Draco and Harry especially liked the long walks, as it was something they often did together during their stay at the Burrow. They explained that it was because it helped to clear their minds and that they liked the crunching sound of the leaves beneath their feet.  But Ron knew better. They were always looking for ways that they could be alone together.

Then one day the unexpected happened.  During the evening meal, Dumbledore rose from his seat to speak to his students.  He rarely made speeches, so when he did; every head turned to listen to what he had to say.

"I have wondrous news for you all.  Our local village, Hogsmeade, has decided to throw a most spectacular party in light of the Samhain Festival. On Halloween night, you are all invited to join in the festivities in the village. It is my understanding that there will be a masquerade ball in the center of town and that all the shops will be open late for the celebration."

The Great Hall was filled with the cheers and applause of the students that it housed. Everyone was excited at the prospect of a masquerade ball. Everyone, that is except for Lupin and Snape.  They both had their arms crossed in front of their chest and looked absolutely appalled at the thought of such an open event.

"I have decided to allow the celebration to take place despite the fact that Voldemort has returned.  Many precautions have already being taken by the Ministry to ensure your safety. We will be temporarily extending the wards surrounding Hogwarts to include Hogsmeade so that they will protect you from harm.  Plus, many members of the order will be on hand to help in case there is an incident."

Many of the students began to whisper quietly to one another. They were so caught up in the idea of a party that they had not even considered the dangers that may be involved.

"You may be asking yourselves why I am willing to take such a risk when the threat of Voldemort looms near. And I ask you, is right for us to hide from our enemy.  Should we hide in shame and forget to live. I for one am not going to allow that to happen. That is how they want us to feel, because fear is what makes them grow stronger. I refuse to allow Voldemort to disrupt our way of life. I understand that many of you are afraid of the unknown, and it is completely your choice whether or not you want to attend. If you have any other questions regarding these events please see your head of house. Thank you," said Dumbledore and he resumed his seat.

Each table steadily grew noisier and nosier, until finally the Great Hall was filled with their endless chatter. Many students were discussing the threat of You-Know-Who, and others were talking about what kind of costume they wanted to wear to the ball.  There seemed to be a mixture of emotions on whether or not to attend the celebration. The sudden announcement had caused a stir in the Great Hall like no other.

"So what do you guys think about Dumbledore's announcement?" said Draco. No one had seen in him get up from the Slytherin table to join them at their table in all the confusion.  It was now widely known that they were all friends, so the other houses didn't really take notice of this odd interaction.

"I, for one, think that Dumbledore is absolutely right. We cannot hide in fear. That's exactly what Voldemort wants," said Harry solemnly.

"But Harry, it's too risky.  What if this is just a ploy for Voldemort to get to you?" asked Hermione.

"I don't think it is," said Harry. "I haven't been having any visions like I normally do when he plans something like this."

"I agree with Hermione, Harry. It's too dangerous," said Ron.

"Suit yourselves, but I am going no matter what. It sounds like a lot of fun, and I think I deserve a night out. Besides, I am glad that I finally have someone to take. I was miserable at the last Yule Ball," said Harry winking at Draco. 

"I was hoping you would say that," said Draco.

"Are you going to the celebration as a couple? Openly? I thought it still had to be a secret," said Ron.

"Of course, it is still a secret. We will have masks on you idiot. No one will know who is who!"

"You are right," said Hermione. "What do you think Ron, do you feel like going?"

"Well, I guess I have to go to look after you two," said Ron looking at Harry and Draco. "You both have a knack for getting yourselves in trouble."

The next couple of weeks were filled with impending excitement. Everyone was talking about the upcoming event. Professor McGonagall event taught her classes how to transfigure ordinary objects into masks for the masquerade.  Each student tried a variety of shapes and sizes, but each person kept their true identity hidden until that faithful night. It was more fun not knowing what each person was going to be disguised as.

Two days before the event, Ron overheard Dumbledore and Snape heatedly arguing in the hallway.  He had decided to leave his dorm after hours in search of a library book that he left in the potions classroom that he needed in order to finish his homework. He had borrowed Harry's invisibility cloak so that he would be able to go undetected. He was just returning to his dorm, when he ran into the two professors.

"But Albus, you know as well as I do how dangerous this situation will be. Extending the wards will only weaken them. Why are you taking this chance?" asked Snape angrily. Ron listened carefully, hoping to hear something that may help Harry.

"I am not overly concerned Severus, even light of the information that you and Draco have provided me. We still have no reason to believe that the death eaters will attack. What would they have to gain at this time? You are right, extending the wards will weaken them somewhat, but they will be stronger than what we could conjure up in such a short manner of time. Besides, the alarm system has also been set in place. We will be alerted immediately if the death eaters do try to breach the wards."

"What about Potters safety?"

"He can handle himself, I assure you. He will also be tailed by a member of the order as well," said Dumbledore.

"Very well. I just hope that you do not live to regret this decision," said Snape as he stormed past Ron.  The headmaster sighed and retreated down another hallway that would lead back to his office.

Ron took a deep breath and thought about what he had just heard. It wasn't anything that he hadn't already thought of himself, although it was unusual to see Severus so concerned about Harry's safety. Ron decided not to tell the others about his encounter because it was unnecessary. He hadn't learned anything that they hadn't already suspected.  He just hoped that when the time came, he would be able to defend his friends if need be. Ron made sure that he was still appropriately covered by the invisibility cloak and retreated back to the Gryffindor tower.

The long awaited party finally came to pass, and the six friends met up outside the Great Hall so they could walk together down to the village.  They were decked out in a variety of costumes. Each person wore their dress robes, but their face was covered by a mask. Beside their hair color, it was easy for the friends to tell who everyone was because their mask suited their personality so well.  Harry had chosen to be a snake, and Draco, of course, was a dragon. Hermione was a domestic house cat, and Ron was a lion. Ginny was an owl, and Neville was a toad.

Ron thought that Hermione looked completely gorgeous. She had used the same hair product on her hair that she had used at the Yule Ball. Her hair was silky straight, and was done in an elaborate up do on the top of her head. He lifted her mask and saw that she had used some makeup as well. Smiling at her beauty he gave her a kiss before replacing her mask. "Hello, beautiful," he said.  She beamed him her gorgeous white smile at the thoughtful comment.  Being the daughter of a dentist does have its benefits.

The friends walked quickly down the path to the village, enjoying the unusual warmth of the air for this time of year. They could hear the beat of the music pumping in the darkness. As they approached, they could just make out the buildings at the south end of town. They were only vaguely aware that they were being followed by Professor Lupin. He had been assigned by the Order of the Phoenix to watch over Harry while at the party.

In costume, Harry and Draco had a little more freedom in their relationship because they didn't risk being prosecuted by the Slytherins. They held one another's hands and looked very much content.

At one point, Ron heard Draco lean over and whispered to Harry, "I have been dreaming about you again!"  Ron walked ahead quickly and shook his head to rid himself of the sexual reference to flying he heard next. Their relationship was still a little weird to say the least. They had been enemies for so long it was hard to imagine them any other way.

When they finally reached their destination, the sight before them was mesmerizing.  The little village was set in a clearing of the forest; a canopy of stars covered the sky like an enormous roof top. Each shop and pub radiated from the center of town like the spokes on a wheel. Ten foot tall torches created an enormous circle in the center of town, illuminating the festivities below. Three large banquet tables were set up at one end with an elaborate array of food and drink.  Several smaller round tables were set up behind the buffet so that friends could eat and drink in intimate little circles.  The entire center of town was filled with Hogwarts' students dancing to the thumping beat. It was difficult to recognize anyone in the massive crowd, as their faces were hidden behind ornate masks.  A variety of colors shimmered and swayed as the crowd danced the night away.  

The only thing that seemed out of place that night was the adults that were chaperoning the crowd. Many of them were teachers at Hogwarts; others were members of the order or people that lived in the local village.  Their jobs tonight were to ensure the students' safety, and make sure that things didn't get too out of hand.  Lupin took up a position near the dance floor and watched the friends from afar. He had an unreadable expression upon his face.

"Wicked!" said Ron. He was awed at the splendor before him. The others nodded at him in agreement.

"I have never seen anything quite like this," said Hermione. "This is truly amazing."

Ginny grabbed Neville's hand and started to lead him towards the undulating crowd. "We are going to go dance.  See you in a bit," she yelled toward her friends, giggling madly. Neville looked like dancing was the last thing he felt like doing, but followed her anyway. He always tried to please Ginny.

"Well, I for one cannot wait to try some of those pastries they got over there. Come on everyone, lets go eat!" said Ron.

"Honestly, I think that the only thing you care about sometimes is your stomach. Do you ever stop eating?" asked Hermione.

"Sure I do, but right now I want a pastry. Are you coming you two?" asked Ron looking over at Harry and Draco.

"Actually, I think Harry and I are going to dance as well," said Draco, smiling at his boyfriend.

"Fine, we will come find you in little while. Don't go too far off. I want to be able to find you if need be." Ron hoped that Draco would pick up on his meaning, and he watched as the green dragon before him as he nodded his head in understanding.

"What was all that about?" asked Hermione as they walked towards the buffet table.  The food looked absolutely delicious. The house elves had labored away for many hours in order to arrange this impressive display of food.

"Oh, nothing," said Ron picking out a yummy looking treat. Hermione handed him a napkin and they found a seat at a table near the dance floor.

"What was that thing that just happened between you and Draco? Something is going on and I want to know.  You have been acting really strange around one another."

"Well, we have this understanding with each other. We both look out for Harry to make sure that he isn't in danger. I am really worried about us being here tonight, but Harry insisted on coming," Ron confessed through a mouthful of food.

"I am sure everything will be fine. Dumbledore said so," said Hermione. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything else.

"I hope so," said Ron.

After several more pastries, and a walk around the local shops in Hogsmeade, Hermione finally convinced Ron to join her on the dance floor.  She dragged him through the mass of people, and they finally found Harry and Draco in all the excitement a short distance away.  They looked as if they were really enjoying themselves, and were jumping around and grabbing each others hands as they bumped to the song.

"Come on. It will be fun. Trust me!" she yelled over the music.

"But I don't know how to dance!" he yelled back.

"Neither do I! Just move your body to the beat!"

Ron grinned as he watched Hermione begin to dance. She did to know how to dance, and she was awesome! She moved her hips back and forth and swayed to beat. She looked so incredible dancing before him, that he couldn't resist the urge to grab hold of her and kiss her. She was startled at his sudden gesture, but she gave into the warm kiss anyway. Pulling back from one another, Ron saw that Hermione had a quizzical look on her face. She seemed to be looking past him at something.

"What is it?" asked Ron as he turned to figure out what she was staring at.

"It's Harry. I think something is wrong," said Hermione.

They began to walk towards the couple, and Ron noticed why she was so concerned. Harry had a confused look on his face, and his hand was lying over his chest as if he was in pain.  Ron broke out into a jog, and reached the couple rather quickly.

"What's wrong?" he asked looking at Harry and then Draco.

"I don't know," said Draco, looking at his boyfriend full of concern.

"Something is not right," said Harry.

"What? Why?" asked Draco concerned.

"My amulet grew really warm. Danger is near," he said. He pulled a long silver chain out from under his dress robes. The dragon's emerald eyes sparkled amidst the light given off by the torches. Ron knew that he never took the trinket off, and that he treasured the thoughtful gift. Draco reached out to grasp the amulet that he had so lovingly given him. He pulled his hand away and nodded.

"You are right, it is warm," said Draco worried.

"What should we do?" asked Hermione.

"Let's find Lupin and the others and get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible," said Ron.

They found Ginny and Neville not too far away. They quickly explained the situation and the six friends began pushing their way through the crowd in search of their professor.

Oddly, the music slowly began to die, and it got eerily quiet as the students looked about in confusion. Even the adults seemed at a loss. The light from the torches began to dim, and it seemed unnaturally dark.  A cold like no other began to rapidly circulate through the crowd. The students began to shiver and whimper at what could be causing their discomfort. Why had the party ended so quickly? What was going on?

The answer became overwhelmingly clear within a manner of moments. A commotion at the northern side of town alerted them to the danger. People began screaming and running in all directions, searching for safety. Twenty or so dementors emerged from the darkness.  They separated themselves in an organized manner and began to circle around the center of town. The adults chaperoning the party desperately began to produce patronuses in order to drive them away, but there was too many of them.  As soon as they deflected one dementor, another approached more quickly.

"Draco, this is what I have been dreaming about. I remember being in a dark place with lots of people, but I don't recognize anyone. That's because everyone has masks on because of the masquerade. And I felt this incredible sense of dread and my chest felt really warm. It must be from my amulet, warning me of danger. My dream was a vision after all!"

"Oh my gods," said Draco.

"We need to get Harry out of here!" yelled Ron.  He began to feel the all too familiar sensation that comes when dementors are near. They suck all the happiness out of your soul, and make you relive your most awful memoirs. He knew all to well what Harry would relive if they got too close.

"Harry!" Draco yelled as he watched Harry fall to his knees. Ron and Draco knelt on either side of him to support and protect his small body. They looked at one another in despair, knowing that he was already trying to fight the voices in his head. 

He heard Hermione and Ginny scream, and Ron realized that five dementors had begun to circle around their small group some 20 feet away. The dark figures moved about cautiously.  It was as if they were searching for something, or someone. Ron knew that they were probably ordered to find Harry, but how did they know who they were when they were still in costume.  These evil creatures must somehow be able to sense Harry's presence. It was the only explanation.

Ginny, Draco, and Neville appeared to be suffering from the affects of the Dementors now as well. Ron looked at Hermione, and she nodded at him understanding what had to be done. They stood back to back and cast the one spell that would be able to fight the dementors.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM," yelled Ron.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM," yelled Hermione, but neither one of them could produce the necessary patronus.  All that came out of their wands was a silvery wisp of smoke. They tried several more times, growing more and more tired with each endeavor.

During their attempts, Harry had begun to shake his head slowly from side to side as if he could shake the awful memories and voices from his mind. He slowly stood up beside his friends, and said "No…."

They looked over at him, amazed that he was able to fight off the effects of these vile creatures that were steadily coming closer and closer.

"You will not harm my friends!" he yelled, swaying from side to side ever so slightly. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He breathed in again, raised his wand, and yelled, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Harry was able to produce a full patronus in the image of a stag. The large silvery stag charged at the dementors driving a few of them away.  The dementors screamed in rage.  The high pitch wail was deafening.

"You need to think of a happy memory in order to do the spell correctly," he told his friends. "I don't know how much longer I can hold them off."

The rest of the group slowly rose to their feet and tried to copy what Harry had done. They were mildly successful at pushing the dementors away. After a few minutes, they were able to produce substantial enough patronuses to push the dementors back to where the adult were trying to contain them. 

They had just started to celebrate their success when Harry fell to his knees grasping at this scar through his costume. He began to scream in agony. He tore off his mask, and Ron could see that the infamous lightening bolt scar had turned an ugly shade of black.

"Harry!" Ron yelled as he reached his friends side. 

Draco grabbed his boyfriend and forced him to look in his eyes. "Harry, what is it?'

"Voldemort," had said in almost inaudible whisper. "He's here!"

Ron and Draco began to look desperately around.  What they saw was horrifying. Death eaters began to appear everywhere, and they were currently fighting with the adults who had finally gotten the dementors sufficiently detained. They must have somehow found a way through the wards.  Their horrible masks looked a lot like the dementors they had released upon the town.  Stunning and defensive spells were shot in every which direction, and the night was filled with would look like a laser light display if a muggle were watching the scene. They watched as red, yellow, and green bolts of light shot through the air as each spell was recited. In reality the first true battle of the second war had begun.

Ron wasn't sure in which direction they should run since the battle was going on all around them. There seemed to be no sign of You-Know-Who anywhere, but Harry was still in a lot of pain.

Suddenly, the air in front of them seemed to distort slightly, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named appeared before them with several death eaters in tow. They must have used an invisibility spell to get past the rest of the townspeople undetected. Ron was scared to say the least, but he stood protectively in front of Harry and Draco. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he would rather die trying to save Harry then to let him come to any more harm.

"So Harry Potter, we meet again," said Voldemort as he gave a wicked cackle.

A/N:  Sorry about the cliffie, but the chapter was getting a little long. I know it should be obvious to everyone that the death eaters would choose that night to attack, but work with me people.  I am trying my best, and Dumbledore has made errors in his judgment in the past.  (Isn't it the least bit strange that Harry was chosen to be the 4th champion on GoF. Come on Dumbledore, there were always three champions in the past. Wasn't that extremely suspicious?)

Many thanks to all my reviewers!

Rowenna- thanks for the many reviews, your comments are helpful. Don't worry I update almost everyday. I am glad that you liked the spell. Yeah I figured out the whole Quidditch team thing after had already posted the chapter. I am going to redo it eventually. I am glad that you are enjoying this fic so much, and I hope that you will review again.

Blood-Covered-Ivory- thanks for the info!

dragonchild- thanks! Happy writing!

DaughterofDeath- I update daily.

Dark Angel240- thanks. I actually had to find an online Latin dictionary in order to create the spell. The reason I had Snape tell Draco not to tell Harry, is that we all know how he worries about endangering everyone. I don't think he would take it well if he knew that Draco may die by using a spell to save him.

Milkyweed- the main title is from Evanescence's song Bring me to Life... I will actually include the song during the appropriate chapter and give my little disclaimer then. It is really important to that scene and will make a hell of a lot more sense.

I Forget- awww.. your so cute. What kind of hint are you looking for? Is the suspense getting to you? Well….you will just have to keep reading to find out what happens next.

Catmint- lol, I think Pansy should die as well…hmm…something to ponder. Thanks for reviewing.

Immortal Memories- Woah….don't get upset. I was only teasing. I just find your reviews amusing. They are strange to say the least. I would actually prefer you to be honest and tell me what I could improve upon, but I will accept almost any review.

Kayin-No-Kaze- I am glad you like the spell. I wanted it to so realistic, so I used Latin. Apparently it worked.


	23. Facing Voldemort

Chapter 23- Facing Voldemort

The night was filled with horrific screams as the terror that had suddenly rained down upon their majestic evening began to approach. Students were crying and running in every direction frantically trying to flee the attack. The Dementors had been driven away, but they now faced a new threat. Death eaters! How were they able to get past the wards?

The battle began before anyone knew what to do. Stunning and defensive spells were shot in every which direction, and the night was filled with brilliant colors of light that were emitted from the dueling wands. They watched as red, yellow, and green bolts of light shot through the air as each spell was recited.  Draco knew that this situation would only get worse before it could get better. He looked over at his boyfriend. Harry was in a great deal of pain, and currently had his hands pressed tightly against his forehead trying to block out the endless throbbing.

Draco watched in shock as he saw Voldemort and his followers materialize from thin air.  They weren't wearing any invisibility cloaks, so they must have used a vanishing spell. They were draped in black robes, and everyone but Voldemort had their faces shielded behind their trademark masks.  The ominous group stalked toward the six friends seemingly unconcerned about the drama going on all around them.

Draco moved instinctively closer to Harry, and could feel the small boy's frame trembling. Harry was still whimpering from the pain that was exuding from his scar because the Dark Lord was near. Draco then noticed that Ron had stepped in front of them protectively. His tall stature all but obscured their view of their attackers. 

"So Harry Potter, we meet again," said Voldemort as he gave a wicked cackle. With a wave of his wand, Voldemort cast Ron's body aside so that he could see Harry properly. Ron hit the ground a short distance away.

Draco looked around at the battle field wondering if all hope was lost. The rest of the death eaters had already managed to stun some of the adults supervising the affair, and they were quickly advancing on the others. Apparently, none of the adults had seen Voldemort, or if they had, they were to busy dueling with the death eaters to do much about it.  Not knowing what else to do, Draco issued the only order he could think of to his new friends, "Run!"

Ginny and Neville grabbed each other's hands and made a run for it, but they hadn't gotten very far when their bodies fell to the ground as they are both hit with _petrificus totalus spell. Oddly enough, they were still holding hands in their statue like state._

Ron and Hermione desperately tried to disarm the death eaters that were approaching them, but they were quickly placed in a full body bind.  They slowly sank to their knees and fell to the ground, anxiously trying to resist the invisible bonds that were clenching around their bodies.

Draco tried to protect Harry from the death eaters by using a disarming spell, but he was knocked off his feet by a blow to the back of his head. He felt himself being punched and kicked a few times by an unseen attacker, and he felt himself grasped roughly from behind.  One of the death eaters had seized both of his arms in a manner in which he was rendered helpless. Both arms were cruelly twisted up behind his back. He struggled desperately for several minutes to get loose, but to no avail. The man holding the blond haired boy was much stronger than him and was now forcing him to his knees. Draco was sure that he had bumped into the man's death eater mask during the struggle, and wondered if it had been dislodged from his head. Craning his neck to see who had captured him, he gasped in shock to see that it was none other than Lucius Malfoy, his very own father.

"I am very disappointed in you, Draco," he scolded. "You could have joined us and been on the winning side. Instead you decided to befriend our enemy. Why?" he asked angrily.

"Because I hate you father. I don't want to be anything like you. LET ME GO!" With Draco no longer by his side, Harry had fallen to the ground again. He could see that Harry was still in a lot of pain, and that Voldemort was approaching him now that his protectors had been cast aside.  The Dark Lord's remaining followers quickly joined the others in the fierce battle.

"You will die for your betrayal Draco!" screamed his father in his ear as he increased his grip on his arms. "But first you will watch your friend suffer!"

Voldemort approached the fallen boy and lifted Harry's face to meet his own. Harry opened his eyes wide at the horrific snake like face before him. His red eyes were peering deeply into his emerald green ones. Voldemort looked stronger than ever before to Draco, and he truly wondered if anything would be able to stop him now.

"Don't let him get to you Harry? Fight him!" Draco screamed. He was terrified to think what would happen if the Dark Lord probed his mind, or tried to possess him completely. Voldemort's piercing gaze did not waver for several moments. Then closing his eyes, he shook his head in fury.

"I see that you have been learning occlumency. Very clever, boy! But you are still no match for me!" The ugly man again tried to peer into his mind, but Harry shut his eyes tight.  Eye contact was important when trying to control the mind.

Opening his eyes once again, Harry screamed, "EXPELLIARMUS!" as he pulled out his wand.

Voldemort was knocked back slightly, but otherwise appeared unharmed.  He began laughing evilly at the attempt Harry had made at defending himself.

"Did you honestly think that a simple disarming spell would have any affect on me? What are they teaching you these days?" he laughed again mocking the small boy.

Harry struggled to stand up, and stood his ground.  "Our professors teach us plenty, but most importantly they teach us what's right from wrong. That is a lesson that you have failed miserably, Tom."

"How dare you call me by that name, insolent boy!"

"I will say and do as I please, Tom! You don't control me like you do your death eaters."

"We'll see about that," the man said smiling darkly. Harry said nothing in response, but stared at him defiantly. Draco was proud of how strong he was for standing up to the Dark Lord like that, but he was worried that this arrogant display would only get him killed.

"I have already begun to corrupt your young mind, how much more do you think it will take to break you completely?"

"Shut up. Dumbledore will never allow that to happen!"

"Do you see Dumbledore any where around now? He is no where to be found. Do you know why? Hmmm…? Because you are a tool my dear boy. A weapon! He is using you to get at me because of that blasted prophecy. He honestly believes that this pale, scrawny kid before me is going to be my ultimate destruction," he said with disdain.

Draco watched as Harry clenched his fists tightly, not knowing what to say in response. He desperately wished he could go stand by his side, but his father had now forcefully pinned him to the ground.  

"Wasn't it I who led you to the Department of Mysteries? You foolishly believed that your mutt of a godfather was being tortured there, all because of a silly dream."

A small tear trickled down Harry's pale face as the memories of what happened last year came flooding back.

"Did you enjoy watching your godfather Sirius die? Hmmm? Because all of your friends are going to suffer the same fate," Voldemort said in a most hateful voice.

Draco recognized the horror on Harry's face as he realized that this was a living nightmare coming true from him. Harry was more afraid that his friends would come to harm because of him than anything else.

"Please don't hurt them. I will do whatever you want," pleaded Harry.

"Oh, I will kill them, my dear boy, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.  But first you and I are going to have a little fun."

"CRUICO!" said Voldemort pointing his wand directly at Harry's chest. He fell to the ground as his small body arched and writhed in agony.

"No, stop! STOP!" screamed Draco, struggling against the hold his father had on him.

"There is nothing you can do for him, Draco. Don't be a fool!" said his father striking his son roughly on his right shoulder. Pain radiated from his shoulder and down his chest and back as he continued to protest.

Voldemort ceased the spell, and Harry's lifeless body lied motionless on the ground. He looked over at Draco furiously for interrupting his source of pleasure. "You should have followed your father in his footsteps, young Malfoy. You might have been capable of truly great things with your father by your side. But instead you chose to be a pauper and defend this useless boy before me."

"Harry is not useless. He is a very powerful wizard, and he is going to be the one to bring your downfall!" screamed Draco.

This comment obviously struck a chord within the Dark Lord. His lips curled up in a sneer. "Lucius, I think your son needs to be taught a lesson."

"Yes, he does my lord," said Lucius. "CRUCIO!" Draco's hands grasped at the ground as his own father began to mercilessly torture his own son. It was pain unlike Draco had ever known. His entire body was on fire and if felt that he was being ripped and torn apart. Was he the one screaming like that? He couldn't tell, but the sound was awful. The pain seemed to last for an endless amount of time. Just when Draco thought that he couldn't take it anymore, the torture stopped. He lied there pretending to be unconscious listening for any sound that would indicate what was happening. Sometimes playing possum has its advantages. 

His body trembled ever so slightly as his body began to react to the after affects of being under the cruciatus curse for so long. He suddenly became aware that Harry was being tortured over and over again. He felt his heart break at the agonizing screams coming from his boyfriend's frail body. He wished that he could go comfort him, but he had to be careful in his rescue attempt. Timing was essential.

Opening one eye so that it was barely open a slit, he saw that his father had turned his back on him and was looking at something in the distance. Glancing in the same direction, Draco realized that what had caused his father to focus his attention away from his traitorous son. It appeared that reinforcements that had been sent into battle by Dumbledore. They were running down the path throwing spells as they went to deflect the death eaters in their way.  Draco was relieved to see Dumbledore amongst the rescuers, but things still looked quite grim. There were more death eaters than there are members of the order fighting in this battle.  Voldemort's numbers had grown significantly since the last time Draco attended a death eater meeting. Thankfully, some of the townspeople had begun to appear from their hiding places and were now joining in the fight.

"My lord, we have a problem," said Draco's father.

"Take care of it then, Lucius," said Voldemort angrily. "My work here is not done."

His father turned back to the unfortunate situation and began to stalk toward this new line of defense. Before he could get very far, Draco stunned his own father from behind. The spell hit him squarely in the back and Lucius flew threw the air. He landed face down onto the ground, his platinum blond hair obscuring his face.

Draco rolled onto his stomach and began to crawl towards Harry. Although his body was resisting moving any further, he forged ahead, determined to save his true love. Voldemort was momentarily distracted by the battle going on around him, and hadn't seen his movements yet.  A short, balding man ran up the Dark Lord.  Draco recognized him to be the one they call Pettigrew, or Wormtail. He apparently had some urgent information.

"My Lord, we do not have much time. We may need to retreat…"

Draco ignored the rest of their conversation as he crawled closer and closer to Harry's unconscious form on the ground. Glancing at the bodies around him, he could see that Ron and Hermione were lying near one another, watching him in absolute fright.  There was not a lot of time for him to maneuver, and he had to think about the situation carefully. He could try to break them out of the body binds, but it would mean jeopardizing his precarious position. He felt badly about temporarily abandoning them, but he decided that it was best to reach Harry first. He was what was most important right now.

Draco noted that Harry was breathing really shallowly as he lifted his tortured body from the now cold ground.  Harry's head rested gently on his left shoulder. He was still so light, that with all the adrenaline pumping through Draco's veins, carrying him seemed almost effortless. He slowly began to back away, hoping that the members of the order would reach them in time.  They were still battling with the death eaters. There was no way that he or Harry could defend themselves properly against Voldemort right now. They were both so weak from being under the cruciatus.

Voldemort turned back to his victims, sensing that his time here was indeed drawing near. He would need to make a hasty retreat if he was to survive.  He saw that Draco had gathered Harry in his arms and was trying to flee to safety.  This enraged the Dark Lord greatly.

Everything that happened in the next moment seemed to happen in slow motion. Draco had anticipated Voldemort's reaction and was ready to protect his boyfriend at all costs. He saw that the Dark Lord had already raised his wand, so Draco did as well, making sure that he never let go of Harry in the process. At the exact same instant, the wizards uttered the two most powerful spells into the darkness of the night.

"AVADA KEDAVRA."

"SOLARA AMICUS."

An intense green light shot out the end of Voldemort's wand, just as a pure white light enveloped Draco and Harry's bodies. The two boys clung together as they slowly fell to the ground. 

Draco observed the unusual scene as the deadly green light was somehow absorbed by the pure white. A color change took place, and soon their bodies were enveloped by swirling colors of orange and yellow. The spinning colors began to pulsate faster and faster until suddenly, the orange and yellow light burst forth from the two boys with a violent explosion. A giant shockwave radiated from the flash, and everyone within a hundred yard radius was knocked off of their feet by the sheer blast, including Voldemort.

Draco's last thought before he succumbed to the numbing darkness was, "I love you, Harry."

A/N: What did you think? It wasn't my longest chapter, but I think it was pretty good.  Don't worry you will learn more about how the death eaters breached the wards in the next chapter.

Many thanks to all my reviewers!

emerald girl – Harry/Draco slash rules!

wanderingwolf – Draco more of a bad boy?…. definitely a possibility. Yes, I already know about the Quidditch thing.

Immortal Memories – the man is OLD, it is always a possibility that his age is finally catching up to him. I know my story is a bit of a stretch, but this is my first fic ever!

Pyrefly- I am getting a little burnt out too. I just want to end this damn story already.

SoulSister- Thanks!

Catmint – you are the only one that I know of that picked up on that dream. Very clever!

bonnie girl- sorry that I offended you, but I doubt that Dumbledore is as perfect as everyone thinks he is. Barty Crouch Jr. was the one who put Harry's name in the goblet of fire. If he could override the cup to spit of 4 names instead of 3, don't you think the ever powerful Dumbledore could have done something to stop the whole shin dig. The book never states what would happen if they don't compete. I hardly think that they would die, or that the earth would crumble. Besides, this is just a fan fic, and I said slight AU. And yes I know about the whole Quidditch thing. Thanks for the review. ^_^

MalfoySnogger-  umm…. Are you sure you wrote me the right review? Harry doesn't join Voldemort, and he has already met Malfoy.

Rowenna- this fic will probably be 28 chapters or so. Lupin knows exactly who Harry and his friends are in the crowd. He followed them all the way from the castle. He is watching them from a distance, but had to leave to fight off the dementors before they got any closer. Lupin already knows about their relationship, although I never came out and stated it. Sorry….my bad.

   
I Forget- I laughed so hard when I read your review. It still makes me chuckle. Oh, and thanks for the chocolate. It was yummy.

Megami Riley- thanks so much. Keep on reading!

Dragnofbadfaith- thanks for the long review. They are always fun to read.

Lampshadesrgreat-  I update almost every day.

Spidermonkey-Demon- WOW…chills..really? YEA! *dances in a happy circle* I can't believe I was able to get a reaction like that. Cool!

   
Kayin-No-Kaze- I hate reading cliffies too, but man they are fun to write!

Milkyweed- sorry about the cliffhanger, I hope this chapter made up for it. Thank you for your comment about "Dumbledore could have been blinded by his determination to show Voldemort that they weren't scared of him and that they would live their life as normally as possible." Everyone else seems to be bashing me for making the old man seem incompetent.  
  



	24. Failure as a Friend

A/N: My beta TigerCat is on vacation so the rest of the chapters will probably contain a few errors. I will try my best to see that it doesn't happen.

Chapter 24- Failure as a Friend

The darkness of the night and sounds of the battle going on all around Ron and Hermione were overwhelmingly frightening. His beloved girlfriend and he were lying near one another on the cold ground motionless. No, they were not dead. This was much, much worse. They were completely paralyzed from a spell cast by one of the death eaters, and they were forced to listen to the horrors happening all around them.  

_Useless!_ That was all Ron could think of right now. _I am utterly useless!_ He had made himself a solemn vow to never allow Harry come to harm again, and now here he was in a body bind, unable to move. He felt like a complete failure when it came to being Harry's friend.  He never managed to do anything useful to save him.

Ron could barely see what was happening to his friends. He was aware that his sister and Neville were lying somewhere not to far off under a petrifying spell. Thankfully, they were oblivious to what was going on around them. That was the only benefit to that nasty spell, you are completely unconscious. He hoped that they wouldn't come to any other harm. Unlike the petrifying spell, a body bind paralyzes the victim, but they left fully aware of everything else going on.

He could just make out Harry and Draco out of the corner of his eye.  He couldn't figure out what they were saying over the noise of the battle, but he could see that Draco was being attacked and pinned to the ground by his own father. The blond haired boy was struggling desperately. Ron then saw that Harry was now lying on the ground with his back arching in the air and his hands clawing at the ground. Voldemort was standing over him with his wand pointing at the boys chest.

_NO! This can't be happening! This can't be real!_ Voldemort was torturing his best friend! Tears began to seep out of the corner of his eyes as he watched Harry writhing in pain. That should be him, not Harry. He had already gone through so much! No longer able to look at Harry in so much discomfort, he shut his eyes tightly.

When he opened them again, he saw Draco crawling towards Harry very slowly. His body was trembling, and from the grimace on his face it looked like it was difficult for him to move. Ron wondered if he had been tortured too. How had he escaped his father? Ron pleaded with his eyes for Draco to release him from the body bind. He wanted to help save Harry and the others, but Draco looked away and continued to crawl toward his boyfriend.

Once Draco had reached Harry, he picked up his unconscious body lovingly in his arms. He stood up gradually, his legs shaking under the increased weight, and began to back away from Voldemort. The Dark Lord appeared to be talking to one of his death eaters and had not noticed his approach.

Suddenly, Voldemort turned around and caught the two young boys trying to escape and brandished his wand. Before Ron knew it, a deadly green light shot out of the end of Voldemort's wand just as a pure white light surrounded Harry and Draco. 

The green light was absorbed by the white in a bright flash. Ron looked on in horror as he watched two of his best friends fall to the ground in a blinding light. He was confused by what just happened. Are they dead?  Voldemort looked confused as well.  The white light changed to swirling colors of orange and yellow. The spinning colors began to pulsate faster and faster until suddenly, the orange and yellow light burst forth from the two boys with a violent explosion. A giant shockwave radiated from the flash, and everyone within a hundred yard radius was knocked off of their feet by the sheer blast, including Voldemort.

Ron felt his body pushed by the shockwave a 50 feet farther than he was originally. He turned his eyes towards Hermione wondering what had just happened. Her eyes conveyed that she was confused as well as to what had just occurred.

Turning his eyes back to the young couple, Ron could see that Harry's small body was lying on top of Draco's. It was unclear if they were unconscious, dying, or already dead from Ron's position.

Voldemort rose to his feet in fury. It was obvious that he hadn't expected that explosion to occur either. Seeing that the rest of the people on the battle ground were standing up as well, he turned from the scene and began to run away, casting an invisibility spell as he retreated. He had realized that the blast had left him more vulnerable to being captured.

Many of the death eaters began to do the same. Dumbledore and many members of the order began to chase after them, but were unable to track them once they became invisible. They were too late to stop Voldemort's retreat. 

The townspeople who had helped in the battle began to watch over the death eaters that were still stunned, and began to help those who had fallen defending the side of the light. The Dementors had apparently broken out of the shields holding them during the blast and had disappeared into the night.

_"Somebody come help us!"_  Ron screamed in his head.

Ron waited impatiently for someone to come and help him and his friends. Moody and Tonks had just released Ginny and Neville from the petrifying spell. They clutched at one another crying as they looked around at what was left of the battle that they had missed.

Lupin and Snape then came over and lifted the body binds from Ron and Hermione. The professors looked very much fatigued from the battle that had just occurred and each had a variety of wounds covering their bodies. 

"Are you two alight?" asked Lupin brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Yes, how did this all happen? How did they break through the wards?" asked Ron anxiously.

"The death eaters managed to find a destabilized point in the wards on the northern side of town, but it wasn't weak enough for them to pass through. Someone would have had to penetrate the wards from within, in order for them to have gain access," said Lupin.

"You mean that someone at the party was helping the death eaters?" asked Hermione. She was crying freely now at the thought that someone they knew could have released the terror upon them tonight.

"It looks that way," said Snape. "I have my suspicions, but I unfortunately don't have any evidence. Once this mess gets cleared up, we will try to see if we can detect anyone's magical signature near weakened area."

"Why didn't anyone notice what had happened?" asked Ron.

"The dementors were a convenient distraction," said Lupin. They nodded knowingly, remembering that awful scene when the dementors were circling in around them.

"How are Harry and Draco?" asked Ron as he embraced his sobbing girlfriend. They had been through so much. He hated knowing that Hermione witnessed as much as he had.

"We don't know," Snape said gravely. He and Lupin turned towards the young couple and began to walk over to where they were lying.

Ron could see that Dumbledore and McGonagall were already tending to Harry and Draco. They appeared to be checking for a pulse, and the looks on their faces looked grim. He began walking towards them, holding on to Hermione. Ginny and Neville followed close behind. No one could say anything as they grew closer. At this point Ron would almost rather run away in the opposite direction then to find out what was wrong with his friends. The truth may be more than he could bear at the moment.

Ron looked about the battlefield as they approached the professors. It was surprising that all of the members of the order had survived.  Everyone looked like they may need to visit the infirmary, but they still had all lived. That is what was important. 

Ron could see that ten death eaters still stunned had been placed together side by side.  Kingsley and Moody were watching over them until help arrived from the Ministry of Magic. He was glad to see that Lucius Malfoy was among the death eaters who had been captured. That would make Draco very happy.

Then Ron remembered what had happened. He didn't even know if his friends were still alive. Wasn't the green light the killing curse?  The four companions looked down at where Harry and Draco were lying. They both looked so peaceful. He reached down to grasp Harry's hand when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he saw that Dumbledore was looking at him sadly.

"I am sorry Mr. Weasley, but I am going to have to ask you to step aside so that we may conjure up some stretchers," said Professor Dumbledore. His normally twinkling blue eyes appeared sad and dull, and he appeared older than he had ever before. Ron knew in his heart that he too blamed himself for had come to pass.

"Are they alive?" asked Ron hopefully. Ginny, Hermione, and Neville looked at the professors anxiously.

"Yes, for now at least," said Snape. He looked down at his godson and sighed deeply.

"What do you mean? They could still die? What happened!?!" Ron was getting really upset. The thought of losing Harry was overwhelming. 

"All will be explained when we are in the safety of the castle. Please follow us closely until we reach Hogwarts in case there is another ambush," said Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione nodded at him, holding onto one another tightly. 

The two boys were arranged on the stretchers, and Ron watched helplessly as Draco and Harry were levitated back to Hogwarts. 

"Ron, I am sure that they will be okay. We have to keep hoping that everything will be alright," said Hermione looking up into her boyfriends blue eyes. She could see that he was still distraught with worry.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I wasn't able to do anything to save Harry. I was useless to him once again. We shouldn't even have come tonight. I should have known that this was a bad idea when I heard Snape talking to Dumbledore and that he was actually concerned. Why didn't I think this through?" Ron crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the ground.  

"Ron none of this is your fault. Don't place the blame on yourself; it will only eat away at you. When did you hear Snape talking to Dumbledore?"

"You don't understand! I ran into them talking in the hallway near the dungeons two nights ago when I went to retrieve that library book. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry," confessed Ron.

"What did you hear?" asked Ginny.

"Only that Dumbledore said that they had no reason to believe that the death eaters would attack.  Snape argued that the death eaters were planning an attack sometime this year, and he was concerned about Harry's safety."

"So no one knew for sure that the attack would be tonight?" asked Neville.

"Not as far as I know."

"Then stop beating yourself up over this. Nothing that has happened is your fault. If there had never been a masquerade ball, they would have found some other way to attack Hogwarts," said Hermione.

"That doesn't change the fact that Harry may still die!" Tears began to spill down his freckled face. Hermione embraced her boyfriend and tied to console him, but she knew that he will feel any relief until he knew for sure that Harry would be okay.

As their small group left to follow the professors back to Hogwarts, they could see that everyone was by now working on cleaning up the remains of the battle.  Most of the students had already left the village to go back to the castle. The townspeople were clearing up the damage around their shops and homes.  Hundreds of house elves were magically cleaning up the tables and chairs that had been destroyed in the conflict. Spoiled food lay all over the ground, and several of the torches had fallen over once their lights were extinguished.  Ministry of Magic officials were currently detaining the captured death eaters, and readying them for transport to the prison.

The foursome followed the stretchers through the castle and into the infirmary, but was quickly ushered out by Madame Pomfrey once she saw that they were not seriously injured. They decided to sit outside the school infirmary on some benches while they waited for news on their friends' conditions. Several scared and injured students walked past them and into the infirmary. As far as they could tell, every bed and chair in the infirmary had been occupied by someone hurt in the battle.  Some of the 7th years who intended to study medicine after they graduated decided to help the mediwitch assess everyone's condition.

After an hour or more had passed, Ron decided that he couldn't take it anymore. "They should have told us something by now! I don't care what that damn nurse says, I am going in there and finding out what is wrong with them!" yelled Ron. He leapt to his feet, closely followed by the others and made his way into the infirmary.

Most of the students were bandaged up and were either sleeping or waiting to be treated. They walked past hospital bed after hospital bed, but had yet to see a sign of either boy.  They reached Madame Pomfrey's office, but she was no where to be seen.

"That door leads to a private hospital room," said Neville pointing across the mediwitch's office. "I wonder if they are in there."

Ron nodded at him, and crossed the tiny office. He turned the knob and pulled open the door. Harry and Draco were laying on twin hospital beds on either side of the room. Lupin was sitting in a chair beside Harry, and Snape was sitting beside Draco. Both looked tired and distraught with worry. The injuries that they had suffered from earlier had now been healed, but their clothes were still stained from their own blood. Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall were standing in the middle of the room debating about Harry and Draco's conditions. Upon hearing the door open, they both turned to greet the new visitors.

"I knew that you wouldn't wait out there for very long. Come inside. I know that you would like to hear what has happened to your young friends," said Dumbledore.  He motioned them inside and conjured up four chairs that lined the wall opposite of the beds and near the door. They friends sat down wondering what news they are going to tell them. They turned toward Dumbledore for their answers and were surprised when Snape spoke to them instead.

"It is my fault that Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy are currently in this situation," he began.

"What? This is your fault? What happened?" asked Ron heatedly.

"Ron, stop," said Hermione as she put her hand on his arm. "We don't even know what he is going to say."

"Mrs. Granger is correct, and I would kindly ask that you keep your temper in check while I explain what has happened."

Ron nodded and sat back; waiting for whatever this slimy git of a potions master was going to say.

"Everyone in this room now knows of Draco's relationship with Mr. Potter. Draco approached me a while ago, concerned about Harry's safety. He was worried about a possible attack, and he informed me that he knew some information from the prophecy that was destroyed last year."

Dumbledore looked at him suspiciously. "Apparently Harry had told him some of it during one of their conversations," Snape confessed.

"Ahh…I see," said the headmaster.

"I thought know one knew what the prophecy contained," said Hermione. "What did it say?"

Dumbledore looked at his young pupil and replied, "I am sorry, but that is not for you to know." (A/N: I am assuming there is more to the prophecy then Dumbledore has told Harry in book 5, and that he cannot reveal this information to anyone other than him. Either way his friends would be upset to hear that Harry is destined to kill Voldemort, or die himself.).

Hermione crossed her arms haughtily and turned her attention back to Professor Snape.

"As I was saying, Draco was concerned for Harry's safety.  Upon learning a portion of the prophecy I too found it imperative that Harry survives any encounter with the Dark Lord at all costs. I had recently begun to investigate a spell that can save a soul mate from certain death. It is called _solara__ amicus._

The research was originally begun by Harry's mother, Lily Potter. There is only a limited amount of information about it in the ancient texts.  It is believed that once the spell is said, the two bodies would both go into a temporary coma like state, while their souls are thrown into some kind of limbo. Death is prevented by the souls drawing strength from one another."

The room was quiet while they processed this information. Ron looked deeply disturbed by what he was hearing.

"What if this is some death eater trick? What if Snape told Draco to use that spell so that Harry would be more vulnerable to an attack from Voldemort!" said Ron angrily. He never did trust his potions professor.

"Need I remind you that Harry would be dead if it weren't for that spell? He is only alive now because Draco saved his life!" said Snape who was disgusted by his accusation.

"Yes, but how are we to trust you that they are even going to wake up," said Ron.

"We don't know anything for sure," said Snape sadly.

"Mr. Weasley, I think I need to remind you that Professor Snape is a spy for the order. His position as one of Voldemort's death eaters was compromised tonight when he fought in battle on the side of the light.  He would never let any of the students here at Hogwarts intentionally come to harm. What you didn't see while you were watching what was happening to your friends, was that Snape was protecting you from the death eaters.  Some of them had decided to start picking off the students who were stunned, and Snape prevented them from killing you and many others. You should be grateful towards him instead of showing him malice."

"I didn't know that any of that was happening. You were protecting us?" asked Hermione looking at the potions master. He nodded at her.

"But that means… oh my…. you are in great danger…" said Hermione sadly.

"Voldemort knows of his betrayal, but we are going to do everything to ensure that he doesn't die at the Dark Lord's hand," replied Dumbledore.

"But what if he summons you?" asked Ginny.

"I just won't go. Simple as that," said Snape.

"Isn't that painful! I thought that the death eaters had tattoos that alerted them when they are being summoned," she said.

"We do," he replied. Everyone looked at each other knowingly. As long as Voldemort was alive, he would torture Snape through his tattoo for his betrayal.

"You said that death is prevented by the souls drawing strength from one another.  What is the catch?" said Hermione. Ron looked over at her wondering if she suspected something more.

"We don't exactly know what happens when the soul is detached from the body in this way, but it theorized that the souls have to come to terms with has happened in their lives, and choose to live once again. The problem is that if someone cannot accept what has happened in their lives, they will never recover and ultimately die."

"What does that mean exactly?" she asked. 

"I mean that a soul has to accept what has happened in its life, no matter what awful things may have occurred. The soul has to want to live again, despite all of the hardships that they will face," said the professor.

"You mean that Harry would have to relive everything that has happened to him?" asked Ron nervously.

"I believe so, yes," said Snape.

"But you don't understand! He will never recover if he is forced to relive what his bastard of an uncle did to him."

"Are you speaking about how Vernon Dursley physically abused Harry?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, yes, but…"

"Is there more to the abuse than I am aware of?" asked Dumbledore.

"The boy was raped this summer and sexually molested when he was younger," replied Snape matter-of-factly.

Everyone gasped in shock over this new piece of information, everyone that is except Ron.

"How did you know?" he demanded. Hermione looked at him sadly, as she quietly began to link all the clues together. She looked more and more distressed as she analyzed Harry's behavior, and realized that it had to be true.

"Mr. Weasley, I teach him occlumency, remember? I had to probe his mind so that he could learn to defend himself properly," Snape explained.

"And why wasn't I informed of this," demanded Dumbledore of Professor Snape.

"The boy did not want anyone else to know. He was terrified that the papers would find out or something if he was forced to see a therapist. He doesn't trust anyone, Albus."

The headmaster shook his head in dismay. The room was quiet for a long time as everyone processed the new information.

"How long will they be like this?' asked Hermione gesturing towards the bed.

"You are a clever girl for asking these important questions. We think that they have 24 hours for their souls to return to their bodies," said Dumbledore.

"And what if they don't make it back in time?" asked Hermione.

"Then they will both perish," said the headmaster sadly. The four friends looked at one another in despair.  This was worst than they had expected.

 "Are they able to communicate to one another?" asked Neville suddenly.

"What do you mean?" asked Snape.

"Well, they are soul mates, right?"

"Yes, they would have to be or the spell would have never worked."

"Well, that means that they are pretty special. Can't soul mates find one another even in the pits of hell?" asked Neville.

"We are not sure, why?"

"Because they love each other unconditionally, and if anyone can bring Harry back from whatever hell he is reliving, it would be Draco," he said confidently.

"I hope your right," said Madame Pomfrey checking over her patients. "There isn't much that I can do for them."

The small group resolutely began to watch Harry and Draco's sleeping forms, each one hoping beyond hope that they would live to see the light of day once again.

A/N: So what did you think? Let me know in a review. Thanks! This next section is really long, sorry! I don't think I have ever had so many reviews after one chapter.
    
    sylver phantasy- thanks. Sorry about the cliffie.

Fantasy101- sweet chapter? Okay, I didn't expect that response. But cool!

ShaeLynn- thanks

emerald girl- sorry but I have to end the chapter some place. Wasn't that dramatic?

Roxa- thanks

shoushi kuro- volide should die, but we can't have him perish in the very first battle now can we?

Dark_Fox- thanks

The Shadow Bandit-  _"__Thank you for sharing your story and talent with me". What an awesome thing to say to someone. I really appreciated that comment. Thanks!_

ReflectionsOfReality- I thought that something was wrong! Thanks for reviewing again. Wow, I actually got your heart racing. Neat!

MalfoySnogger- I thought the Ginny and Neville thing was sweet too. I thought it was important that Draco defended himself against his father. I wanted Harry to be strong, yet vulnerable. Was I successful?  How could you forget about Solara Amicus! I am glad we cleared up your last review because I was really confused. The fic has changed pace and I am hoping that it continues with the same momentum.

Michelle- you will have to wait and see if Harry can face his nightmares.

bonnie girl- No problem, you didn't insult me. You were just so strong in your convictions I felt the need to explain my reasoning.

Rowenna-  I just meant that Lupin probably knew about him and Draco. After all, he is the DADA professor there and they spend time after class talking. That's all. Their relationship with each other was explained to Pomfrey and Dumbledore by Snape and Lupin while the four friends waited in the lobby. We just didn't see that scene. Does that make sense or am I making too much of a stretch? You got me thinking now. Do you think it is necessary to go back and add something where Lupin learns about them?

Skittles the Sugar Fairy- Yea!!! A new reader. Keep on reading, because I update every day. I hope to read a review again from you.

Devilita- You will have to wait to the bitter end to see if it will be a happy one. Thanks for reviewing.

swimade333- thanks

SoulSister- I was dramatic and thought provoking. Cool! Thanks for reviewing.

canary-cream713- I have difficulty with Rowling killing off Sirius too, but in the back of my mind he is really alive, and she will bring him back. I just can't think otherwise. And yes, I know about the Quidditch thing, but thanks anyways.

I Forget- lol, you are so funny. I can never stop laughing at your comments. Okay, okay you got me. I will tell you the truth, even if you did throw me the wrong chocolate. Voldemort is going to mwh awhe mnd rmwteh…. Oops sorry. I was eating peanut butter and jelly sandwich and that didn't come out right. Voldemort ran away to see that he would live another day. We can't have him die in the first battle now can we?  Muahahahaha *laughs evilly* *cough*cough* I choked on my sandwich! Good bye for now  to the one and only semi-talented fan fic writer who catches everyone else's grammar mistakes, yet is too tired to bother catching her own... okay, that was too funny to pass  up

swimade333- yes, yes I know. Thanks.

Spidermonkey-Demon- don't cry until the end, when you discover if those tears should be of joy or sorrow.

Milkyweed- Thanks for supporting me on the Dumbledore thing.

Kayin-No-Kaze- thanks for the review.


	25. What Dreams May Come

**Warning:** This chapter contains depictions of physical abuse. If this bothers you in anyway, then don't read!

Chapter 25- What Dreams May Come 

Disclaimer: the following quote is from Shakespeare's play Hamlet. (_To be or not to be soliloquy). I do not own the rights to this quote, and seek to gain nothing by using it in this story. This is was one my inspirations for this story._

**To sleep?** perchance to dream! Ay, there's the rub;  
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,  
When we have shuffl'd off this mortal coil,****

Draco opened his eyes slowly as if he was waking from an endless sleep. At first he was completely unaware of where he was or how he had even got there. In his foggy like mind, he could not even remember what day it was.

Realizing that he was lying on a cold stone floor curled into a tight ball, he began to lift his head from where it had laid on his arms. He sat up slowly, not comprehending where he was.  It appeared as if he was in a cell of some kind. One wall was lined with bars, while the other three walls were made of stone. There was no window in the dungeon like cell.  Only one small torch in the hallway outside of the chamber dimly illuminated the small room.

There was nothing else in the room beside Draco. There was no cot, or sink, or toilet; only the small pale boy sitting in the middle of the cell. In the distance Draco could here droplets of water falling to the ground. With each impending drop, he shivered from the cold and drew in his knees against his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He had never felt so cold and alone in all of his life.

His brain finally began to grasp at the idea that he had been imprisoned. But how and by whom? He could feel his chest tighten with panic as he began to fully comprehend his dangerous situation.  Why was he being held like this? Had he done something wrong?

His first instinct was to shout for help, but he decided that was bad idea. What if he alerted his captors of his presence, and they did something awful to him. He decided he would wait and see what happened instead. Remembering that he was a wizard, he searched his clothing for his beloved wand, but came up empty handed. How would he defend himself without his wand?

He glanced around once again in hopes of discovering something that would aid him if the was forced to defend himself. What he saw instead filled him with dread like no other. There was a large stain in one corner of the room. It was difficult to make out in the dim light, but Draco knew with certainty what had caused that stain. Blood, and a lot of blood at that.  Someone had been seriously injured, if not killed in this cell. Draco quickly looked down at his own body to make sure that it wasn't from him. 

He felt somewhat sore, and found that he had a variety of bruises over his entire body, but he found no traces of a wound that was bleeding. He was relieved that the blood hadn't come from him, but how had he gotten all those bruises? Who had hit him? And why was he here?

He didn't have to wait long to find out the answer. He heard what sounded like a heavy metal door scrape across the stone dungeon floor. He stood up from his position on the floor and waited. His body tense with anxiousness.

A tall blond man entered the dimly lit hallway. Lucius Malfoy had appeared before Draco, looking as smug as ever. His long platinum blond haired shimmered in the light given off by the torch on the wall. He looked absolutely regal in his elegant dark robes. Draco looked up at him in awe. 

Draco felt somewhat relieved to see his father, and jumped to his feet. He crossed the cell quickly, and grasped the bars with his hands.

"Father!"

"Step away, Draco, so that I may enter," ordered Lucius.

He nodded and backed up.  Lucius used his wand to unlock the door and entered the cell. Draco slowly came to the understanding that he was in the dungeons below his very own house, Malfoy Manor. It was his own father that had imprisoned him here in this god forsaken cell.

"Have you finally learned your lesson?" his father asked. Draco was having trouble understanding what was going on, and began to shake his head in confusion.

"I am sorry father, but I don't know what you are talking about. I don't remember anything!" Draco replied quickly.

He felt himself smacked roughly across the face. "Do I need to remind you?" he asked furiously.

"I am s...sorry father. I don't understand what has happened," Draco muttered as he began to tremble. He no longer felt happy to see his father. Had he somehow forgotten what a monster this man could be?

"Sorry? Oh, you will be sorry when I get through with you. We were supposed to have a nice Christmas dinner as a family, but instead I am here dealing with you!" He slapped him again roughly against his face.

_Christmas?__ Am I home on holiday? What was going on? _

"What did I do?" asked Draco.

"I can't believe you are speaking to me this way! You know very well what you did! Or rather what you failed to do," Lucius grabbed his son by the shirt collar and threw him against the stone wall. Draco could feel the stones jutting into his back painfully, but he knew better than to cry out.

"I gave you a simple command. Find a way to have Potter expelled, and you landed yourself in detention instead!" his father yelled angrily as spittle flew at his son's face.

"What?" asked Draco. He had no idea what his father was talking about.

"My patience grows thin, Draco. You caught the Potter boy and his friends out of their dorm after hours, and you reported them to their head of house. But you stupidly forgot that you were out after hours as well." Lucius threw his son against the wall again, knocking his head against the stony surface.

_Was his father talking about what happened in his first year? Was he still a first year student? _Draco was really confused.__

"I'm sorry father. I will try harder to please you next time," pleaded Draco.

"You had better. I expect you to act like a Malfoy, and Malfoy's do not receive detention. And another thing, what is this I hear about that mudblood Gryffindor doing better than you in all of your classes?"

"You mean Granger? She is really smart, and I am trying really hard," he complained.

"I don't care what the mudblood's name is. You are going to have to try even harder my son. I will not accept second best from any member of my family."

"But…"

"Do you dare question me?" Lucius asked viciously.

"But… why do you want me to get Potter expelled….why do I have to be the best at everything?" he asked boldly.

"If Potter is away from the safety of Hogwarts, it will be much easier to capture him for the Dark Lord. I have heard that he will be returning to us soon, and we need to prove our loyalty to him. Now, you will do what I say, and when I say it. You will follow in my footsteps!  I am trying to shape you into something worthy, and yet you defy me every step of he way!"

"But I don't want to be like you…" _Draco suddenly realized somewhere in the back of his mind that something was very wrong about this situation._

"How dare you!" screamed Lucius, his eyes full of rage. Draco felt the first blow to this stomach. He crumpled forward, falling away from the wall and hitting the floor. His father continued to kick him repeatedly. He felt his body begin break as it was kicked and beaten into the wall.

"You should be grateful that you are a Malfoy and not some pathetic Weasley! I will be back to deal with you later. Think about your position in this family before you decide to ever defy me again." Lucius stalked out of the cell slamming the barred door behind. Draco could hear his father's heavy boots ascending the dungeon's steps.

Draco lay on the cold floor numbly. His entire body was screaming in pain from his latest beating. He was sure that he had several broken bones, and he felt the familiar taste of blood in the back of his throat. What had just happened? Why was his father referring to an incident that happened almost five years ago? Something inside of Draco snapped. 

_This can't be real! I know that I am no longer a first year!_

He began to think about the things his father was saying, and realized that everything his father had said was somehow vaguely familiar. Like Déjà vu.  Had he relived some awful experience from his past? But why? Was this a dream? Was he even alive?

He wanted to leave so badly. But there was no escape; he knew the cell all to well. His father had fortified it with magical charms so that no one would be able to escape its confines. He grew agitated with frustration. What was he going to do?

This just didn't feel right. He knew deep down that no longer loved his father, and he certainly didn't take orders from him anymore. What was going on? He had the distinct impression that he had betrayed his father in the past.

He laid there for a very long time, feeling sorry for himself, and frantically trying to figure out what had happened. He thought about the comment that his father had said before he left Draco. _"You should be grateful that you are a Malfoy and not some pathetic Weasley!"_

Something inside him, told Draco that he had envied the Weasleys for some reason. Somewhere along the line he had changed his thinking about that family. Why? What was it that caused him to think differently from his father?

Then with sudden clarity, he remembered it all: the fight with his father, going to the Weasleys, finding out about Harry, falling in love, attending the masquerade ball, stunning his father, and finally using the soul mate spell.

That was why he was here! This wasn't real; this was some kind of limbo. Draco jumped up; ignoring is numerous injuries as he realized the seriousness of his situation. How was he going to get out of this hell hole?

He began to search the cell thoroughly, but he wasn't sure what he was looking for. He hated being here, but he couldn't figure out how he was going to leave. His mind began to race as he tried to figure out how to get out of there.

_This can't be real. I don't want to be here! I ran way from my father long ago and I do not intend to return. I refuse to allow him to control me like Voldemort controls him. I would rather die than to follow his footsteps. _

_But I don't want to really die either; I want my life back! I want to live!_

Before he knew what was happening, the dungeon walls seem to melt away.  The bars and stone work surrounding him slid to the floor like viscous black liquid. Looking up he noticed that he was staring at a beautiful blue sky. How could that be when the dungeons were below the several floors of the manor? Amazingly, the thick syrup like substance began to pool around his feet and finally seeped into the ground disappearing completely.  He was no longer in the cold family dungeon, but on a hot tropical island.

Draco was now standing on the shores of a beautiful white sand beach.  Looking around he discovered that he was on an island, much like the one his family had visited in the Caribbean when he was a young child. Draco had always thought that it was heaven on earth. He loved the sound of the crashing waves and the cries the gulls overhead. He would run among the palm trees all over the resort looking for treasures.  Only there wasn't a resort to be found on this small island, only a small building on the northern shore.

Draco ran a hand through his blond hair staring at the wonder around him in awe. The ocean was more beautiful than he had remembered. He longed to swim within the aqua blue waters, but felt that he had figure out his current situation first. He stretched his body out as the sun warmed his skin. He felt very much alive. 

Thankfully, he was no longer in pain.  In fact, there wasn't a single blemish on his tanned skin. His injuries had somehow vanished completely. He pondered how he had gotten here as he walked towards the hut. Was it magic? Did this all have to do with the spell he used? Somehow he knew that this island must somehow be another illusion.  He hoped that he would find someone who could help him.  Nothing was making any sense anymore.

He picked up a few seashells and some interesting rocks on his way. These were the treasures that he so hungrily searched for as a kid. Their natural beauty appealed to his child like mind. They were so different from the oppressive and lavish things his father collected in their Manor.

Upon reaching the hut, he realized that it was unoccupied. He took the opportunity to look around. There seemed to be everything someone would need to live comfortably on an island. There was a small table and chairs in the center of the room, and a large hammock hanging in the corner. He found fishing poles, nets, a knife, and hooks hanging by the door. There were also several large containers for storing food and water, and a wood burning stove. There was even a bookshelf full of interesting books to read.  A small freshwater river ran through the island from an inland lake and past the hut only 20 yards away.  

He sat down at the small table and contemplated why he was here. He almost wished that he could stay here forever. There was everything that he needed to make a life here on this small island. Everything, but his Harry. Why was he here? Was this heaven?

_I want Harry. Where is my Harry?_

He desperately tried to think about what his godfather had said about using the soul mate spell. Something about having to come to terms with his past. His soul must have created these worlds in order for him to accept what has happened to him and choose to live.  Draco was sure that he had already done that because he was no longer in that awful dungeon. He accepted what he used to be, and had already decided to rise above it. He had learned to love, and had found happiness when he was sent the Weasleys.

Then why was he still here, and not in his true body. Was there something left that he still had to do? He racked his brain thinking of the possibilities, and came to the only conclusion that he could think of. He must still be here in this dreamlike world because of something to do with Harry. He had cast the spell on both of them; would Harry be affected in the same manner? Was he reliving some awful memory too? Maybe Harry was having difficulty fighting his own demons.

His heart began to beat madly with worry. He had to find his true love and help him in anyway he could. Draco didn't think he would ever be able to exist again without Harry by his side. He loved him more than life itself.

Draco jumped up with realization. He had to get to Harry fast, before it was too late. But how was he going to get out of here?  Severus said something about them only having twenty four hours to return to their bodies. How much time had already passed?

He stepped outside the hut and looked up and down the shore. There weren't any boats that he could use, and no one was in sight. He scanned the sea and the sky for signs of life, but to no avail. He was all alone on this tiny island. He grew more and more frustrated at his plight, and fell back into the sand sobbing with grief.

"Harry!" he shouted with all his might. Draco felt a pull on his solar plexus and he was catapulted forward. The tropical island disappeared, and he could see a blinding white light surrounding him completely. He felt as if he was being pulled into some unknown direction. Strangely enough, he didn't feel the least bit scared about the oddness of what was happening to him. All he knew was that he had to get to Harry, and fast.

The light stopped almost as soon as it began, and Draco soon found himself in complete darkness. He again found himself in a situation in which he had no idea where he was. He became aware that he was sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. His back was against what appeared to be a wall. He was afraid to move in the impending darkness, for fear that he may fall or something.  As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he realized that he must be in a very tiny room. He could just make out some light coming from beneath what appeared to be a doorway.

He heard someone softly breathing somewhere close to him. If this person intended to harm him, he or she would have already done so. His eyes peered through the blackness, and he began to make out a very small form huddled on a cot that was next to Draco.  It appeared to be a small boy and he was sitting absolutely still in fear.

"Hello?" asked Draco, wondering who this tiny child could be. "I won't hurt you…."

"Who awe you?" asked the boy leaning forward. His voice sounded really young. From the boy's new position Draco could see a mess of black hair and a pair of rimmed glasses on the boy's pale face in the dim light.

"Harry?" Draco asked. "Is that you? Are you okay?"

A/N: Sorry about the cliffie, but the next chapter will be in Harry's POV, so surely that will make up for it. It is also my longest chapter yet! The whole tropical island thing is also loosely based on the movie What Dreams May Come.  In the movie, each person creates their own heaven when they die, and I really liked that idea. Of course, Draco really isn't heaven, only limbo.  This is not intended be religious in any sense, only spiritual, so I apologize if I have offend anyone's belief system. Also, it is not necessary to my plot to have the characters relive everything awful thing that has ever happened to them, in case you are wondering. They only have to relive enough for them to choose to live despite the hardships.

Many thanks to all my reviewers!

sleepyspeller- Harry can't go bye-bye, NO! don't talk that way. Okay JK, thanks for the review.

ShaeLynn- what did you think of this chapter. Did it sound believable that Draco would be able to find Harry like Neville said?

Meluzine- you know, you are right about Draco being a bad boy, and unfortunately the scenes I wrote for his POV were necessary to the story, but didn't show that side of him.  I hoped that the chocolate thing with the slytherins would help his personality a little. If I do a sequel, I am going to consider making him a little less "sweet" as you said.

emerald girl- did you like this chapter? Angst rules! Thanks for the review.

shoushi kuro- snape does seem to be hero-ish, is that good or bad? I know he is a little ooc, but I hope he has retained some of his brooding qualities. 

ReflectionsOfReality- I took the prophesy to mean that they would have to kill one or the other in a conflict, but I don't think that applies to either one dying in general. I hardly think Harry would survive if he was crushed by a mack truck just because it wasn't sent by Voldemort. Although I do admire your peanut butter theory, very interesting.

Berkeley Halperin- yes, I know about the Quidditch thing now, but I wasn't aware that Ginny was interested in being a chaser. I still feel Ron would be best at a beater because of his height. He has more mass to knock the beaters away. I have considered rewriting the chapter, but it will have to stand how it is for now. Thanks for the help though.

Goldengirl2 – Two hours? Really?  I have never read my story all the way through. I had no idea it was that long! Check out my review for your story.

dragonchild- thanks you so much. I am thinking of a sequel, but it would take me months to write it. I won't have the time to write this quickly again until next summer!

Milkyweed – thanks for the review. Did you like the limbo world?

Immortal Memories- How dare you! You can't possibly like peanut butter more then me! This means war! *flings sticky jelly at you through a giant catapult*

The Shadow Bandit- I actually invoked you to have pins and needles while reading my story? Yea! *dances in a happy circle*  Thanks again for the lovely praise.

Rowenna- You are a very thorough reader and you point out some very useful info to me. I am still considering going back and adding something though. Thanks for reviewing.

Maximum Poofy-Queen of AU- thanks for reviewing. I love hearing from everyone.

Redmeadow- thanks!!!

 Kayin-No-Kaze- congrats on your many reviews!

MalfoySnogger- You are very inquisitive about who was helping on the inside, but you will have to wait  until the last chapter to see if your suspicions were correct.

I Forget- NO! ANYTHING BUT THE GIANT TICKLE FEATHER! How was your trip to Madame Pomfrey?  lol, I am nearly in tears with laughter each time I read your reviews. You keep me going, seriously! (Oh btw go back and read my review from yesterday. I uploaded the chapter twice and my response to you changed slightly).

Dark_Fox- poor harry!

swimade333- have a good vacation!

Windrider87- you were nearly crying at several points in the story? COOL! I loved your thoughtful review. Thank you so much!


	26. Bring Me to Life

**Warning:** This chapter contains depictions of physical and sexual abuse. If this bothers you in anyway, then don't read!

**Author's Note:** This chapter was written in **Harry's POV **for another special treat. In the last chapter, several hours passed while Draco was in limbo. The same amount of time has passed in Harry's time in limbo as well. You will see why I changed the story title to be Bring Me to Life in this chapter, and it will make a lot more sense.

This chapter was recently reposted. The song "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence was_ yet another _inspiration for me to write this story. I had originally included it in my story, but I had to remove per fanficition's policy.

**Chapter 26-Bring Me to Life**

Harry opened his eyes slowly as if he was waking from an endless sleep. At first he was completely unaware of where he was or how he had even got there. In his foggy like mind, he could not even remember what day it was.

His body felt oddly sore, like he was covered in bruises and welts. The pain was something that he had grown used to, but it hurt nonetheless. His stomach growled hungrily. He must have missed dinner again. Looking around Harry found himself inside of his cupboard under the stairs.

He felt his chest tighten with panic, he hated being in here. He was highly claustrophobic, and this was the worst place he could be right now.

He got up from his cot and yanked on the door. Locked once again! Somehow he knew that he should just calm down and wait until he was released. But the fear he had at being inside this cramped tiny space was overwhelming. It felt like he would never escape. Putting all reasoning aside, he began to pull on the door and bang loudly to be let out.

"Stop that racket! What is the bloody meaning of this? We are trying to watch a show on the telly!" Uncle Vernon yelled from the living room.

Harry could hear his uncle's thundering footsteps stomping down the small hallway. His uncle unfastened the lock and threw open the door.

"Well… explain yourself this instant!" his voice bellowed. Harry was really scared. He knew better than to cross his uncle, and his breath smelled of alcohol.

"Can I come out now Uncle Vewnon?" he asked quietly.

"You will come up when I say you do, and not a moment sooner!" he replied. Harry looked away knowing that he was defeated. "Look at me when I am talking to you!" His uncle slapped him across the face. Harry forced himself not to cry and looked back at his uncle. Crying always made things worse, especially when his uncle was drunk.

"If you know what is good for you, you will stay quiet and not disturb me again. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded solemnly. "I said DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" He picked Harry up by his large shirt and waited for his reply.

"Yes, Uncle Vewnon," he replied.

"Good," and with that he threw Harry's five year old body back into the cupboard and slammed and locked the door.

Harry lay down on his cot and pulled the thin blanket over his frail body. He felt very sad and lonely. Why did his relatives hate him so much? They were never kind to him like they were to their son Dudley. The Dursleys made him do a lot of chores, and they punished whenever he said or did something bad. Sometimes they punished him even when he hadn't even done anything wrong. He hated his life. He wished that his mommy and daddy were still alive. Then he could live with them instead of the Dursleys. He began to cry quietly, wishing that someone would come and save him.

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but when he awoke, he had an eerie impression that he wasn't alone in his cupboard. He reached for his glasses, but was still unable to see anything in the darkness. Whatever was in the cupboard with him was breathing quietly. What if it was a monster? Harry was terrified and sat as still as possible. Maybe then, the thing in the cupboard wouldn't hurt him.

His eyes began to adjust to the darkness. He could see that there was light coming from beneath the cupboard door so it must be early morning already. The creature in the cupboard with him appeared to be a blond haired teenager. Harry wasn't sure what he should do. The boy didn't look like he would hurt him, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"Hello?" said the boy. "I won't hurt you…."

"Who awe you?" asked Harry leaning forward. He wanted to get a better look to see if he knew this person. As far as he was concerned, he had never seen this person in his life.

"Harry?" the strange boy asked. "Is that you? Are you okay?"

"How do you know my name?" he asked cautiously.

"Harry, it's me Draco, don't you remember?" the blond haired boy asked.

"Dwaco…."

"Yes, you know, from Hogwarts," said Draco.

"I don't even know what Howawts is," said little Harry, "and I don't know who you awe eithew."

The boy named Draco looked at him thoroughly surprised. Who was this boy and how did he know him?

"Is there a light in here, Harry?" asked Draco.

"Yes, but Uncle Vewnon said that I am not allowed to use it. It wastes electwicity," said Harry.

"Well, I won't tell him. Why don't you turn it on?"

"Okay, pwomise?"

"Promise," said the older boy.

Harry reached up and pulled on the thin cord that was hanging from the ceiling. A dusty light bulb flickered to life, illuminating the tiny closet. Draco looked at him sadly in the dim light.

"That's better," said Draco. He tried to stand up from his position on the floor, and found that he had to crouch down instead. He sat down on the small cot next to Harry and looked at him curiously.

Harry thought that the boy looked rather nice. He was tall and thin and had caring eyes. Not like the eyes that Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia had. Their eyes only showed their hatred towards him. This boy's eyes shined with kindness and understanding.

"So this is your room? he asked.

"Yes," said Harry uncertainly. "How did you get in hewe? Uncle Vewnon always locks the door."

"I am not really sure, but I do know that I was sent here to protect you."

"Pwotect me? Fwom what?" Harry's eyes grew wide in fear. Was something going to get him and eat him?

"It's okay Harry, I won't let him hurt you." _What was he talking about!_

"Who?"

"Your uncle," the boy replied sadly.

"Oh… ah… my uncle doesn't huwt me," said Harry quickly, shaking his head from side to side._ How did he know about him?_

"Oh, really? Then how did you get those bruises on your face?" asked Draco.

"I fell down the staiws," Harry said looking away. That was the line his relatives made him rehearse if anyone began to ask him questions like this.

"I don't believe you. I know that your uncle beats you, Harry."

"He usually only does it when I do something bad. Sometimes he has to because I make something happen that isn't supposed to happen. I am a fweak," he confessed.

The older boy reached out and hugged Harry to his side. Harry flinched at the gesture because he wasn't sure how to respond. He had never been hugged like this before. He began to relax as he felt Draco kiss the top of his head lovingly.

"Harry, listen to me," Draco began, "you are not a freak. You can make things happen because you are a wizard. You are capable of doing wonderful magic."

"Don't say that word!" Harry pleaded.

"What word?"

"The m word. It makes Uncle Vewnon vewy angwy," he said looking up into Draco's blue-grey eyes.

Draco sighed deeply and picked Harry up and arranged him on his lap. At first the jostling had been painful because of his injuries, but Harry soon found that he liked this feeling of being cuddled and he snuggled up against his warm body. No one had ever treated him this way before. Sure, Mrs. Figg was a nice lady, but she never gave him affection like this. He found himself wanting to cry. This is what he had wanted for so long; someone to care about him. What if he went away?

"Harry, you are a very special person. You are not a freak and there is nothing wrong with doing magic. Your relatives don't know what they are talking about. You are a wizard. Just like your parents were."

"But they said…"

"I don't care what they said. I am telling you the truth… because I love you," he replied. Harry felt Draco kiss him on his forehead near his strange scar.

"You love me?" asked Harry his eyes wide. He didn't think that he was worthy of being loved. No one had ever said it to him before.

"Yes, with all my heart," said Draco.

"Then I love you too," said Harry happily. He made a wish that this person who had suddenly come into his life would never go away.

"You awe vewy nice. Awe you an angel?" asked Harry after a few moments.

"Something like that," said Draco looking down at the small boy in wonder.

"Shhh…," said Harry. Harry heard his relatives beginning to wake upstairs. He reached up and turned off the light above their heads. He could hear the water running in the upstairs bathroom, and a commotion coming from the bedroom. It appeared as if his aunt and uncle were arguing yet again. After a few minutes, his uncle began to descend the stairs and walked down the hall and into the kitchen.

A short time later his aunt and his cousin Dudley came downstairs as well. Harry had gotten pretty good at recognizing the sound of everyone's footsteps on the tread of the steps above him. He crawled off of Draco's lap and moved back into the corner of his cot. He listened for sounds that would indicate everyone's mood this morning.

"Honestly, Vernon. I am sick and tired of you drinking your life away whenever there is the least bit of trouble at Grunnings. Look at you. It is barely morning and you already have a drink in your hand. It's pathetic!" she yelled angrily.

"Petunia, I have a hang over. Nothing cures it better than a glass in the morning. Besides, you don't even know what you are talking about."

"Mom, are we going now?" Dudley whined.

"In a minute, now hush," she said to her son. "Vernon, Dudley and I are going out for the day. I expect you to be fully sober when I return. I will not tolerate this abnormality in my household much longer."

"Fine, go!" he shouted at her. "Be home in time to fix me dinner."

"Fine! Let's go Duddikins," she said. Harry could hear his aunt and cousin gathering their coats and shoes. They soon left the small house on Privet Drive.

Harry looked at Draco wide eyed. It was never good thing when his uncle was drunk, but he hated to think what could happen without his aunt there to referee. She never said anything about Vernon punishing Harry, but she did complain if things got too out of hand. She didn't want any of their nosy neighbors to discover what was going on in her own home.

"It's okay Harry. I won't let anything happen to you," said Draco.

"Okay, thanks," said Harry appreciatively. He truly believed that he wouldn't come to harm as long as Draco was there.

His uncle suddenly threw open the cupboard door, "Who are you talking to boy?" He asked looking around the tiny closet. Apparently his uncle was unable to see Draco sitting beside him on the bed. Was Draco a ghost? Why was Harry only able to see him?

"No one, Uncle Vewnon. I was talking to myself," he said.

"Well, stop that rubbish and get out here and fix me some breakfast," he ordered. His breath smelled like whiskey.

Harry looked back and forth between his uncle and Draco and slid off of the small cot. He padded barefoot out into the hallway and began to follow his uncle into the kitchen. Before he reached the door, he turned back to look at Draco.

The tall boy was standing in the closet in the open door, but it appeared as if he was pounding his hands against some invisible barrier. His face looked like he was panicking about something.

"Awe you coming?" he mouthed to Draco.

"HARRY! Something must be wrong! I can't follow you. I can only stay in here. Oh gods…. Harry, I am so sorry… I promise I will still be here. Come back as soon as you can!" said Draco as he continued to search for a way out of the cupboard under the stairs. His eyes appeared glossy like he was trying not to cry.

Harry nodded at him, and was startled when he heard "BOY! Get your ass in here!"

"Yes, Uncle Vewnon," said Harry as he pushed open the door.

"Get started already. I want a bowl of cereal, and a cup of coffee. Oh yeah, and I will take it in the living room. What your aunt doesn't know won't hurt me, right?" he asked.

Harry nodded. Aunt Petunia never let anyone eat in the living room. All their meals had to be respectable, which meant sitting at the dining room table. He was relieved that all his uncle had wanted was a bowl of cereal and coffee. He probably couldn't stomach greasy eggs and bacon in his current state. At least it was something that Harry was capable of making. His aunt didn't allow him to use the stove yet, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he would be learning how to fairly soon.

He quickly began the pot of coffee using the filter packets he had seen his aunt use. Luckily for him the coffee maker was at the end of the counter where he could reach. He then set about getting the cereal. This was a little trickier. He needed to use a kitchen chair in order to reach the cereal box in the pantry. His stomach growled hungrily once again. He knew better than to eat anything himself, his uncle somehow always knew and punished him for it.

When the meal was ready a short time later, he set everything on a serving tray that he had seen his aunt use when company was over. He felt proud of himself for preparing the meal and not even making a mess. He carefully carried the tray into the living room and handed it to his uncle. The large man was currently watching a movie on the television set.

"Hewe you awe, Uncle Vewnon," he said politely.

"Yeah… now get out of my way," he said. Harry stepped away from the TV and started to head back to his cupboard. He was hoping that Draco was still there. He would like to talk to him some more about magic.

"Where do you think you are going?" asked his uncle turning his head towards him.

"Back to my cupboawd," said Harry innocently.

"Oh no you don't. You are going to stay right here and in case I need anything," said Vernon.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and sat on the floor near his uncle. At least he got a chance to watch the telly, which was something he was never allowed to do.

After a few minutes, Harry realized that the movie that his uncle was watching was on a cable channel. It was probably not appropriate for someone as young as Harry to be watching. There was a lot of violence, and now there was a couple making out on the television. Harry watched curiously as the couple began to take off their clothes and touch one another. He had never realized that people did that to one another. He was startled again by the sound of his uncle's voice.

"Come here boy," said Vernon. Harry turned his head to see his uncle setting the tray on the coffee table near by. There was an odd gleam in his eye that unsettled Harry greatly.

He stood up and approached his uncle cautiously. Harry didn't like that look in his uncle's eyes. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything wrong, but you could never tell with Uncle Vernon.

"Sit down next to me," his uncle said, pushing Harry down next to him. "Now I want you to be a good boy and do as I say. Do you know what will happen if you don't listen?" asked Uncle Vernon.

"You will punish me?" asked Harry.

"That's right. Now I want you to take off your pants….be a good boy…" he said forcefully.

Harry was too terrified not to obey. He had received quite few beatings in his lifetime to know what happened if he crossed his uncle. He was so much smaller than him that he had barely stood a chance on the few occasions he tried to protect himself.

What happened to Harry in the next fifteen minutes was something that shattered his very spirit. His uncle had never done anything like this to him before, and yet everything felt vaguely familiar.

He sat quietly while he was poked and prodded and touched in places that no adult should ever touch a young child. Harry tried to resist, but was promptly threatened with harm if he didn't do as he was asked. He knew what was happening was wrong, but he didn't want to be in any more pain. He hated suffering all the time. His uncle then began to play with his own privates, forcing Harry to assist him. He grunted and moaned in a very odd manner, saying vile things to his young nephew.

Harry began to cry silent tears when he felt a gooey white substance covering his small hands. His uncle told him that was what good boys were supposed to do, so why did this feel so wrong?

"Stop your sniveling," said Uncle Vernon. "Did I hurt you?"

"N…no," said Harry.

"Right, because you were a good boy. Now go clean up yourself and get me another cup of coffee."

Harry quickly dressed and raced to the kitchen with the coffee mug. He washed and rewashed his hands in the kitchen sink several times, desperately trying to rid himself of the vile substance that had tainted his hands. Why had his uncle did that to him? Was he going to do it again?

Harry refilled the coffee mug, and entered the living room again. His uncle had fixed his clothing and was now flipping through the channels on the telly. Harry trembled as he approached his uncle. He was so out of it from his previous experience that he didn't even notice the coffee table until he ran into it, spilling the hot coffee all over his uncle.

"OWW! Why you little… freak! You did that on purpose!" He stood up quickly and tried to brush off the scalding liquid.

"No, Uncle Vewnon. I am so sowwy….so sowwy…" he pleaded with his uncle.

"After everything I do for you, this is how I am treated!"

Harry apologized over and over as his uncle began to beat him senseless. His entire body was exploding in pain. Just when Harry thought he couldn't take it any longer, his uncle threw him back into the cupboard. His entire body felt like it had been broken into a thousand pieces.

He had just enough energy left to lie himself down on the small cot as his sore and broken body screamed in protest at the smallest movement. He had almost forgotten all about Draco, when he felt the blond haired boy kneel beside his bed.

"Oh, Harry….I am so sorry…what happened?" asked Draco, his voice full of concern.

"…" Harry said nothing, but began to cry quietly. He couldn't stop thinking about what his uncle had done to him. He really was a freak now.

"Harry, please talk to me… tell me what happened…." said Draco as he tried to brush his messy black hair away from his eyes. There was a hitch in his voice like he was willing himself not to cry.

"You said you wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. You lied… you awe just like evewyone else."

"I didn't know that I couldn't leave the cupboard. I thought was here to protect you," said Draco. He ripped off a piece of his shirt and began to dab at Harry's split lip.

Harry pulled his head back in pain. "Don't touch me!" he said.

"What?… I am just trying to see if you are okay," said Draco, trying to help him once again.

"Don't touch me!" said Harry. He pulled up his knees painfully to his chest and tried to make himself as small as possible. What if Draco tried to touch him like that too? What if he wanted him to be a good boy too?

"Oh, Harry…. I love you… I would never hurt you… I love you…" He could hear Draco trying to coax him out his shell.

He stayed as absolutely as still as possible hoping that the boy would just leave him alone. He wasn't worth loving. He was a freak. He was dirty. No one would ever really love him.

"Harry… what happened?" he asked again.

"My uncle…he…he…did b-bad things to me. He touched me in a n- naughty way," Harry stuttered. He wasn't sure why he was even telling Draco. It wasn't like he really cared about him, right?

"Oh gods… I am so sorry I wasn't there…are you okay?" asked Draco.

"…" Harry sat very still hoping he would just go away and leave him in his misery. He couldn't even save him like he promised.

"What your uncle did to you wasn't right….he deserves to be sent jail for what he did," the blond tried again.

Harry still remained silent. Everything bad always happened to him. Sometimes he wished that he would just die. He began to feel very cold, and everything was getting darker. He was in such despair and he felt like he would never be happy ever again. He didn't have any strength left to fight the darkness, and he allowed himself to be dragged further and further within its depths.

He could feel himself being picked up and placed on Draco's lap once again. He thrashed his arms and legs wildly in protest. He didn't want to be touched anymore, but Draco held onto him. After a while, Harry calmed down and went limp in his arms. The older boy gently rocked him back and forth, whispering reassuring words into Harry's ear. Harry ignored everything and continued to embrace the darkness.

"I am so cold, Draco. I am all alone in the darkness," he sad sadly.

"No, you are not. I am here with you. Harry, you have got to fight this. I can't lose you!" Draco pleaded. "This isn't real Harry. You aren't a helpless little boy anymore. You are a strong wizard capable of doing wonderful things. Don't let this be the end," said Draco.

The end? That sounded appealing. Maybe if he died he wouldn't have to suffer any longer. At least then he could be with his parents and Sirius. _Sirius?__ Who was Sirius?_

"Your uncle can't hurt you anymore if you don't let him. You ran away from him. You saved yourself! Don't let that be in vain," he said. _I saved myself, when?_

"Who is Siwius, Dwaco?" asked Harry, coming out of the darkness partially.

"Sirius? Ah….Sirius… was your godfather."

"What happened to him?"

Draco paused for several moments before he finally answered. "He died last year at the hands of one of Voldemort's followers."

Harry could vaguely recall seeing a dark haired man falling through a veil into a black abyss. What had happened? Images began flashing through Harry's mind as the memories came flooding back.

"I remember now," said Harry. "It was all my fault that he died." (A/N: His speaking patterned changed as his mind begins to understand everything. He has matured even though he is still represented as a small boy).

"No it wasn't Harry. Voldemort was feeding you visions of Sirius being tortured to lead you to the Department of Mysteries. You had no way of knowing if the visions were real or not. You went there in order to save Sirius."

"But he died anyway. Just like all the others," said Harry who began to cry tears of sorrow once again. Memory after memory was flooding into his mind. His parents, Professor Quirrell, Bertha Jorkins, Frank the caretaker, Cedric Diggory, and now Sirius. They had all died because of their connection to Harry.

"Voldemort killed them, not you. You need to understand this."

"Voldemort?" asked Harry. He was beginning to remember something that had happened just before he had woken up in the cupboard. There had been a battle of some kind.

"Yes, Voldemort. He is a very dark and powerful wizard."

"Voldemort tried to kill me at the masquerade ball," said Harry distantly as he pieced together all the information.

"Yes, you remembered. I used a spell to save you. That is why we are here in limbo. We don't have much time."

Harry could feel that their time was indeed drawing near. Draco could sense it too, because he seemed as if he was panicking. He pulled Harry back to look into his emerald green eyes.

"Harry you are a good person. Nothing that has ever happened to you was ever your fault. You need to accept this in order to move on. You need to save yourself once again. You are strong enough, and I believe in you. I can't help you in the way I thought I could, but I am here for you."

"Why am I so important to you? Why do I have to accept anything?"

"Because I love you Harry. I can't live without you, you are my soul mate. You are more important to me than anything else in this world. And you have not fulfilled your purpose on Earth."

"And what purpose is that?"

"Defeating Voldemort!"

"Is that all I am to you? A weapon? I think I would rather die thank you very much." The darkness began to close in on Harry again.

"No, if you die, then we will all perish. What about your friends?" Draco pleaded.

"Friends?" asked Harry. What would happen to them?

"Yes. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, the Weasleys, and me. We all love you very much and we will all die if you choose not to live."

"Really?"

"It's possible. Harry, we need you. Please come back with me," begged Draco.

He couldn't stand the thought of his friends coming to harm because of him. Too many have died already. Could he really pass on and not give them a second thought? NO! His friends were his real family. They had been there for him after everything that has ever happened. He cared about his friends more than anything else on earth. He wouldn't let them die because of him.

"But I can't leave the cupboard," said Harry. "It's locked."

"This place isn't real! It is just a figment of your imagination."

"Then how do I leave!"

"You have to accept all the wrongs that have happened in your life. It's okay to still live with the pain. You are a strong person. You will get past all of this."

"I can't Draco, it hurts too much. I am not worthy to live on this earth. I _am_ a freak, just like my uncle said."

"You are not a freak! I know it hurts, but you have to move on. You are better than this, don't give up!" he yelled at Harry.

"Draco, I don't know how!" he yelled in panicked voice. All Harry could think about was all the awful things that had ever happened in his life. He could feel the darkness pulling him down. The cupboard slowly dissolved around them into nothingness. He didn't really want to die, did he? Wasn't that just taking the easy way out?

"Harry, I refuse to live with out you. So if you give up, then so do I. But I don't want to die! We have so much to live for. You have to try, for me!" he pleaded.

Was Draco really willing to sacrifice himself if Harry gave up? Would he die too? He couldn't let that happen! Draco had shown him what it felt like to be loved, and for that he was eternally grateful. In this crazy, chaotic world he had found his one true love and he wasn't about to let go.

"Harry!" yelled Draco. Harry could feel that they were being torn apart from each other. He couldn't do this without Draco.

"DRACO, I LOVE YOU!" He shouted into the darkness. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME AS LONG AS I AM WITH YOU! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS! I ACCEPT EVERY AWFUL THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME. I WANT TO LIVE! DRACO……"

Harry felt himself thrown back into Draco's arms in the metaphorical darkness. They clung to one another desperately. Harry could feel a pull on his solar plexus as he and Draco were catapulted forward. A blinding white light surrounded them completely. He felt as if he was being pulled into some unknown direction, but he was not afraid. He was with his Draco and that was all that mattered.

A/N: Okay, I chose to do the molestation scene instead of a rape scene because I don't have it in me to write something like that. I know that this chapter was a little graphic, but it was necessary to the plot. Harry had to overcome something really traumatizing, so I chose the first time he was hurt by his uncle in this way. I would like to state again that I have never been abused so I am writing this purely on what I have heard and read about. I hope that I have not offended anyone in anyway. Sirius and Cedric's deaths were traumatizing too, but I think the ramifications of his uncle's actions are much more influential on Harry's psyche. There is only one chapter left to go!

**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers!**


	27. And So the War Has Begun

Many thanks to my beta TigerCat for proofreading this chapter.

Chapter 27- And So the War has Begun

Ron and the others waited for several hours to see if his friends would wake up. No one knew for sure how much time they had left, or what would happen when that threshold of time finally came to an end.  

Professor Dumbledore and some of the other professors checked out the wards surrounding the village at the first opportunity possible. It was believed that someone from the inside had weakened the wards in order to allow the death eaters to gain access.  Upon conducting their investigation, this allegation deemed to be entirely true. The Ministry conducted a variety of tests to verify if they could detect any magical signatures. They found only one trace of magic from the inside of the wards. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Pansy Parkinson had aided the death eaters in waging battle against the little village of Hogsmeade.

Many of the students had cheered when the Ministry of Magic officials had escorted Pansy from the Slytherin common room all the way to the entrance of the school near the Great Hall. They made quite an example of Pansy as they paraded her through the endless hallways. She had a look of utter disbelief on her face. She protested madly all the way to the entrance that she wasn't the one who had betrayed them, but no one was buying her act. She had blindly believed that she would not be discovered in her attempts to aid the death eaters. Her stupidity for using her own wand was her ultimate demise.

She was led to a point just outside the wards where the officials would activate a portkey. The wards had been withdrawn from the village of Hogsmeade and were strongly protecting Hogwarts once again now that everyone was back into safety. Dumbledore explained to them later that she would be detained at the Ministry of Magic until her trial. If convicted, she would be the youngest person in history ever sent to Azkaban.

Everyone was exhausted from the last night's events, so they took turns watching over the two boys.  There was much to be done as well. Snape were currently looking up some more research on the spell Draco had used, while Lupin was assisting Madame Pomfrey in healing all the injured victims.  Although he was quite busy, Remus came back to check on the boys almost every half an hour or so.  Ginny and Neville were now resting back in their common room, which left Hermione and Ron currently on watch duty.

Hermione had been highly distressed and had cried herself to sleep. She was now resting uncomfortably on the chair beside Ron because she refused to go back to the common room with the others.  She was too fretted with worry to even consult a book, like she usually did when it came to manners like this.

Ron sat and listened to the stillness of the castle. He never realized just how quiet everything was at this hour. He had expected to hear the students bustling through the hallways on their way back from dinner, but they were probably all still reeling from the battle last night.  From the windows in the private hospital room, Ron could see that the sun was setting. Already a day had passed since their encounter with Voldemort. It had to be close to the time in which the spell would wear off. 

Ron looked at his friends anxiously. Their lifeless bodies lay on the beds on either side of the room.  Someone had crossed their hands over the chests sometime during the day, thinking that this would make them more comfortable.  This image disturbed Ron greatly. To him, Harry and Draco looked like they were lying out waiting to be placed into their coffins.  

As much as he wanted to move their arms from that position, he couldn't make himself touch them in order to do so. What if he felt their arms and they were as cold and lifeless as they appeared to be? What if they had really died? Ron couldn't bear to think of that possibility. They had to be okay. They just had to be.

And so he waited. Daylight faded completely, and darkness filled the small hospital room. Ron lit the candles in the room, and sat down again to wait for the inevitable. Hermione began to stir beside him.

"Why is it so dark in here?" she asked.

"It's night time now, Hermione. You have been asleep for quiet awhile," said Ron.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked as she stretched her aching muscles. She had sat for too long in that uncomfortable postion.

"Because you were exhausted. You needed to sleep."

"Well, what time is it anyway?" she asked anxiously.

"I am not sure, but I am getting really worried. Shouldn't they have woken up by now?"

"I thought that they would by now, too," she confessed.

They sighed deeply and looked back at their sleeping forms. 

Suddenly, each boy was surrounded with a bright white light, their backs arched painfully into the air as their hands grasped at the bed roughly. Each one opened their mouths wide as if they were screaming, but no sound was issued.

"What's happening!" yelled Ron.

"I don't know," said Hermione. "I am getting Madame Pomfrey." She ran out of the room frantically, yelling for the school nurse.

The aura like glow began to fade from them, and their bodies fell back against the bed once more. Ron wasn't sure if they were dead or not. Why had they acted like that?

He began to approach Harry's bed cautiously. He reached out his hand to feel Harry's pulse, but hesitated. What if he was really dead now? Before he could follow through checking on his best friend, Draco awakened on the other side of the room.

He gasped loudly and shot his upper body forward so that he was now in a seated position. He opened his eyes wide and looked around the room apprehensively. Seeing that Ron was standing over Harry, he leaped off the bed and pushed Ron out of the way.

"Harry!" Draco shouted as he sat on the bed beside his boyfriend. "You gotta wake up now!" He grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him gently searching for signs of life. Ron watched curiously, wondering what was happening.

Harry's eyelashes flickered a few times until he was finally able to open his eyes completely.

"Draco?" his voice croaked as he tried to sit up.

Seeing that Harry was indeed alive, Draco embraced him fiercely. He hugged the dark haired boy as if he were clinging on to him for dear life. Both of them were crying openly, and professing their love to one another.

Ron had no idea what they must have both experienced, but figured they might need a moment together. He left the room briefly and found Hermione and Madame Pomfrey running through the infirmary towards him.

"Hermione, they're alive They're alive!" he shouted.

"Oh, thank goodness," she said looking finally relieved. 

Ron enveloped her into a hug, not caring that he was crying tears of joy.  His emotions had been so tightly strung these last 24 hours that he didn't care what anyone said of his display right now.

Madame Pomfrey brushed past them and into the private room. They followed behind her so that Hermione good see the news for herself. Ron quickly wiped his tears away as they entered the room.

They found Harry and Draco in the same position as when Ron had left them.

"Welcome back gentleman," said Madame Pomfrey. "If you would kindly untangle yourselves from each other, I would like to check you over."

Harry and Draco looked at one another and laughed. They sat beside one another on the bed as the mediwitch fussed over them. Finally seeing that they were both okay, she left to inform the headmaster and the others.

The four friends were left alone in the room together. Ron wanted to say something, but felt like he was tongue tied. How do you ask your friend what happened?  How do you explain the fear you felt over losing him?

Hermione broke the tension first. "I am so glad that you are both okay, we were so worried." She walked over to them and hugged them both at the same time. She then gave a Harry an extra special hug.

"Voldemort got away didn't he?" asked Draco.

Ron nodded at him. "After you used that spell, an explosion took place knocking everyone off of their feet. He and his fellow death eaters soon retreated. The order was unable to stop them."

"What about my father?" he asked.  Ron could see that he feared his father had escaped once again and was happy to inform him that it hadn't been the case.

"Lucius Malfoy was detained by the ministry along with nine other death eaters. Pansy has been taken into custody as well."

"Why?" asked Harry. His face looked puzzled by this new information.

"She was the one that weakened the wards and let the death eaters inside the village. She is currently awaiting trial."

Harry and Draco nodded at one another as if they understood something about the piece of information that no one else did.

Ron finally couldn't take it any longer, and walked over to Harry and embraced him warmly. "I am so glad that you are okay Harry. I was terrified to think of what life would be like with out you," he confessed. He stood back up and looked down sheepishly. He felt like an idiot for admitting that, but he knew that it meant the world to Harry to know that others cared about him.

Harry smiled at him and said, "Thanks Ron. That means more to me than you will ever know."

Ron looked at Draco and nodded. Although they were friends, he couldn't bring himself to hug the other boy. It would just be too weird.

Dumbledore appeared in the doorway followed by Snape and Lupin. He asked that he and Hermione left so that they could speak to the boys privately. Ron knew they were going to question them about what had happened. From experience, he was sure that Harry wouldn't want to talk about with him right now anyway. He wasn't sure if Harry would ever tell him what happened, but that was okay. As long as Harry was safe, Ron would be happy.

Ron and Hermione left to go find Ginny and Neville to tell them the good news.  They had been just as worried, and it would be nice to ease their minds.

They didn't see much of the two boys again until breakfast the following morning. They apparently still needed to rest after their ordeal, but Ron wasn't sure why. Hadn't they been asleep for the last twenty four hours?

Draco decided to join the Gryffindors for the morning meal despite the glares that he got from the Slytherin table.  He sat next to Harry happily and began eating feverishly. He shoveled the food on his plate into his mouth at a surprising rate. The behavior was quite out of the ordinary for this usually dainty and well mannered snob.

Hermione laughed at his behavior while eating, "Draco, you have been hanging out with us for much too long now. You are even eating like Ron."

"Hey!" said Ron through a mouthful of food.

"Sorry!  I am starving," said Draco as he polished off a piece of toast.

Harry was his usual quiet self and picked at his food while lost in his thoughts.

"You are not eating very much. Are you okay, Harry?" asked Hermione who was always concerned about his eating habits.

"Yeah, just been through a lot recently, okay?" he looked over at her like he was hoping that she would drop the subject.

"Okay," she said.

They were just about to rise and head outside since they had the day off when Dumbledore began to make a speech. Every head turn towards him in confusion. Usually he left his big announcements for dinner time.

"I apologize for interrupting your breakfasts, but my message is most urgent. As you know, Voldemort and his followers waged a battle against us on Halloween night.  He leashed upon on us the horrors of the dementors and his death eater followers, but he failed miserably.  His attempt was unsuccessful because of the combined efforts of the Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic, the village of Hogsmeade, and the fine students and professors here at Hogwarts. Remember, we are only as strong as we are united. Although we were fortunate that everyone survived the ordeal, I am saddened to say that this will not be the last we see of Voldemort and his kind. A dark shadow is approaching out little world and many dark days are upon us. The light will only prevail if we join forces against this evil threat. We will not go down without a fight….and so the war has begun!"

The End

**Check out the sequel to this fic… Echoes of the Mind.**

A/N: Remember, the sequel will take me much longer to write than the original. I was surprised to find the time I did to begin planning this fic. A thousand thanks to all my reviewers who encouraged me to go on… you know who you are.

Many thanks to all my reviewers! Without you I would not have felt compelled to continue writing. Sorry this chapter was shorter than usual, but I am completely burnt out and this story had to come to an end.

Rowenna- thank you for telling me that I was able to capture some originality. Its certainly hard with all the HP fic out there. Thanks for reviewing.

Maximum Poofy-Queen of AU- thanks

Tewks- thanks. By the way, did you know about the CAPS lock? lol

emerald girl- so sorry that this had to come to an end. Thanks for reviewing.

Skittles the Sugar Fairy- thanks

I Forget- I will certainly miss your reviews! Have fun in college!

Malfoy Snogger- You actually felt like you were there… that is what I exactly wanted to hear. Yay!

   
blackenedsoul- I know, sorry about the longer than usual update.

Ashes- thanks for reviewing.

  
Immortal Memories- Damn! foiled again! 

ReflectionsOfReality- thanks for taking the time to write me such nice reviews. I appreciate it greatly.

Kayin-No-Kaze- you have stuck with me the longest. I will miss our conversations. *frowns sadly*

Dark Angel240- thanks for reviewing once again. Many thanks!


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